BET is about to get into streaming — thanks to Tyler Perry.
Perry is partnering with BET’s parent company Viacom to start offering a BET streaming service, which will be home to original programming from Perry. According to the Wall Street Journal, it will be called BET+, and Perry will be a financial stakeholder in the new service. Perry already has a five-year production agreement with Viacom. BET+ will begin operations in the fall.
“The new BET+ service is expected to carry original content – TV series and movies – that will only be available on the platform and exclusive to the service for 18 months. The content would then be eligible to run on the BET cable channel,” Indie Wire reported.
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BET+ will also offer content from Perry’s Tyler Perry Studios production arm. Content from producer Will Packer (“Girls Trip,” “What Men Want”)and acquired series and movies from Viacom sister networks MTV, Comedy Central, and VH1 will also be available on the service.
Initially, BET+ will be available on Android devices, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Apple TV.
“BET+ would be part of Viacom’s overarching digital strategy. The company recently purchased Los Angeles-based video streaming service Pluto TV for $340 million back in January. This would also be the latest attempt by a media conglomerate to shift its strategy toward streaming as the ratings for traditional linear channels continue to see serious erosion year-after-year,” Variety reported.
