ViacomCBS Networks Int. Unveils Remotely Produced Series For June Global Pride Month

Jill Goldsmith
·4 min read

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ViacomCBS Networks International Youth & Entertainment Group said Monday it will be rolling out a handful of series and specials across BET, Comedy Central and MTV International in June for Global Pride Month — when each network will also turn its logo rainbow-colored.

Series include remotely produced series from MTV International, Served! with Jade Thirlwall, starring the Little Mix superstar, “world class drag queens and additional celebrity guests” in a “food meets celeb” interview format. Comedy Central International is bringing back its drag queen-hosted online chat show Dragony Aunts for a second season. BET International will air BET Breaks: Pride Special on-air and online and BET Pride Home Sessions across its digital platforms.

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Served! with Jade Thirlwall and Dragony Aunts: The Podcast is the latest among a number of remotely produced series for MTV and Comedy Central International.

“With so much going on in the world, it’s important to bring positivity to screens everywhere, and that means celebrating Pride in a vibrant yet remote way,” says Kerry Taylor, Executive Vice President of ViacomCBS Networks International Youth & Entertainment Brands. “We hope these series and specials will add a bit of fun and flare to our viewers’ days as we all celebrate global Pride month from our homes.”

MTV International: In each 6 x 11-minute episode of Served! with Jade Thirlwall, Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix and a drag superstar virtually compete to cook the best themed dinner from a package of mystery ingredients. Self-filmed by Jade and celebrity queens like Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Act, The Vivienne and more, they get their party started by making cocktail creations while cooking together over a video gossip session. Jade’s mom judges the winner of the cook-off and celebrity guests, including Spice Girls Mel C, also make “dial-in” appearances along the way.

The remote production will debut first online, on May 28 ahead of global Pride, and air weekly across MTV International’s digital platforms including YouTube and Facebook. The series will be adapted into linear episodes with exclusive bonus content and air weekly on MTV International channels starting June 29.

Internationally, MTV will roll out a new MTV Generation Change 3 Things in Isolation Pride-themed short form, digital episode featuring an LGBTQ+ youth activist discussing how people around the world can support the LGBTQ+ community from home. In the UK, pop-up channel MTV PRIDE is back for a sixth year and rolling out Kim Petras Woo-Ah! Top 20, a new Pride countdown special hosted by the pop singer songwriter, and airing Pride-themed marathons including Adam Lambert’s Fierce Pride Anthems, Years & Years’ Pop Party Mixtape, RuPaul’s Lip-Sync Extravaganza and Alaska’s Anthems. MTV Latin America is also airing LGBTQ+ themed programming and music blocks, and Comedy Central Latin America is spotlighting LGBTQ+ comedians and specials.

Comedy Central International: Dragony Aunts, a 9 x 8-minute digital short-form series will launch on Comedy Central International’s YouTube channels starting late June and feature guests including Mutya Buena, AJ Odudu, The Cheeky Girls, Jack Rooke, Stephen Bailey and KG The Comedian.

BET International: BET International wil air BET Breaks: Pride Special, interstitials that will run on-air and across socials focusing on Pride themes to empower LGBTQ+ communities globally, and BET Pride Home Sessions with BET Breaks presenters who will interview influential members of the LGBTQ+ community in a digital-only format. BET International will also launch 12 Days of Pride, a digital campaign spotlighting black creatives focusing on topics ranging from identity, activism and family.

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