The 2012 BET Awards drew 7.4 million viewers on Sunday night, down slightly from last year’s 7.7 million. That makes it the top awards show on cable for at least two months until the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards likely steals that title away.

While the TV ratings might have been down, BET’s social numbers were through the roof as the award show generated 10 million unique tweets — up 683 percent from 2011. Overall, the BET Awards was the third most social tentpole event in 2012 behind only the Super Bowl and the Grammys.

This year marked the first time the award show was held in July. It was pushed back a week due to the possible conflict with the NBA Finals.

As we told you yesterday, the 2013 BET Awards will be part of the BET Experience at L.A. Live from June 28-30, 2013.

With the 2012 BET Awards in the books, the cable network has already turned their attention to next year’s show — a three-day celebration at L.A. Live in partnership with AEG.

The BET Experience at L.A. Live will take place June 28-30, 2013. According to the press release, attendees at the BET Experience ”will enjoy great performances, participate in TV show tapings, attend thought provoking seminars, interact with sponsor exhibits and connect with their favorite BET programs.” Staples Center will host three nights of megastar concerts as well.  Read more