Now you can stream the 2016 BET Awards with a new SVOD app
BET has joined the SVOD club.
On Wednesday, the Viacom-owned network announced its SVOD app BET Play, which will offer paying users direct mobile access to BET’s signature award shows, television series, documentaries, standup comedy, entertainment news and legendary musical performances.
The new service is Viacom's second major property to float an online subscription offering. The media conglomerate -- which in the midst of a brutal power struggle between family members and board members at the top of the company -- launched a similar service for Nickelodeon on January.
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BET Play will include the 2016 BET Awards, which will take place Sunday, June 26. The app will feature the show itself, as well as red carpet and after-show behind-the-scenes content.
This year’s broadcast, which features returning hosts Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, includes performances by Alicia Keys and Maxwell, as well as a tribute to Prince.
“For people around the world who love Black culture, BET Play will enable fans to access our content when and where they want it,” Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks, said in a statement.
“For people around the world who love Black culture, BET Play will enable fans to access our content when and where they want it."
The network, which offers programming for the African-American audience, is available in more than 90 million households across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa.
Play, which will be available for $4 per month, gives BET the opportunity to expand its viewership base to 100 countries. Fans can watch BET content on their smartphones and tablets without having a pay TV subscription.
“The launch of BET Play significantly expands the brand's geographic availability by making it available direct to consumer in many markets where it has not previously had an established presence on TV," said Michael D. Armstrong, Viacom's EVP of international brand development, in a statement.
Already, Viacom has seen success with its Viacom Play Plex apps, which gives smartphone and tablet users around the world access to the content from Viacom's many brands including Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Channel, Spike and BET.
To date, Viacom said its Play Plex apps are available in more than 40 markets, have been downloaded more than 8 million times and streamed 150 million times.
The BET Play announcement also comes as the list of SVOD and OTT options for consumers continues to grow.
Already in the last year, Fullscreen, Fandango, Lionsgate and Kevin Hart, ComicCon and Lionsgate, Defy Media's ScreenJunkies Plus, TIME Inc. and most recently Legendary Digital Networks have launched or announced plans for OTT offerings.
BET Play is available to download on iOS and Android devices. The platform is offering a seven-day trial free of charge.
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Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
