BET International
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Africa Middle East South Korea France |
| Network | BET |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English Arabic Korean French |
| Picture format | 16:9 1080i HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount International Networks |
| History | |
| Launched | 27 February 2008 1 December 2015 (South Africa) |
| Closed | 8 April 2021 (UK & Ireland) |
| Links | |
| Website | www.betintl.co.uk www.betafrica.tv |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| GOtv (Sub-Saharan Africa) | Channel 21 |
| DStv (Sub-Saharan Africa) | Channel 129 |
| Zuku TV (Kenya) | Channel 125 |
BET International (Black Entertainment Television) is an international television channel centred towards black culture. It is available in Africa, along with the Middle East/North Africa region. It was launched on 28 February 2008 in the UK and on 1 December 2015[1] with headquarters in London. BET broadcast content from the main Black Entertainment Television channel in the US and Canada. No UK-originated content was ever produced for the channel.[2][3]
History
[edit]BET International Inc. was given a licence to broadcast in the UK in May 2007 by Ofcom. In 2006 it was announced that BET would hold its first annual Hip-Hop Awards and as part of the announcement they also stated there would be a "Best UK Artist" category, the winner being Sway.[4]
Availability
[edit]BET launched on the Sky platform in the UK on 27 February 2008, one day earlier than it originally advertised. It began with various BET content, such as 106 & Park, American Gangster and College Hill. The channel is available on Sky Channel 194. The channel launched on Freesat in August 2008 on Channel 140. BET +1 was added to Freesat when it launched in late 2008.[5] These signals are also available for free in the rest of Europe via satellite Eutelsat 28A. At the start of July 2009, a temporary HD event channel for the BET Awards 2009 was carried by Freesat.[6]
BET Africa was available in Kenya on Zuku TV on Channel 125[7] and on StarTimes on Channel 132.[8]
The channel was available on the Pan-African satellite broadcaster DStv on Channel 135 until 2 April 2015 when it was replaced with a domestic BET feed, which includes local shows alongside BET International's programming.
BET International was removed from StarSat in South Africa, and StarTimes across Africa on 30 November 2015.
On 4 November 2014, BET +1 closed, and was replaced by 5* +1 on Sky.
In 2018, BET Africa was added to GOtv Channel 21.
On 5 May 2020, BET was removed from Freesat.
It was announced on 30 March 2021 that BET would shut down as a linear TV channel on 8 April 2021 in the UK & Ireland. BET International's content was disbursed among the My5 and Pluto TV streaming services, and will also be carried on Paramount+ upon its 2022 pan-European launch.[9] The channel still broadcasts in Africa as of October 2022.
Programming
[edit]The network aired most of the programming originated and produced by the American BET network, along with select programmes from MTV and VH1. It also carried acquired Black-focused American and British sitcoms which originally aired on terrestrial networks in both countries.
References
[edit]- ^ "BET Networks Announces the Launch of BET in the UK". BET Networks. 2008-02-20. Archived from the original on 2008-03-08.
- ^ "Black TV network to expand to UK". Digital Spy. 2007-06-20.
- ^ "BET comes to Britain". The Voice. 2007-06-28. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
- ^ "T.I., Busta Rhymes And Chamillionaire Top Nominees List For 1st Annual "BET Hip Hop Awards"". The Voice. 2006-10-13. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30.
- ^ "BET Comes to the U.K." BET.com. 2008-02-28. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11.
- ^ "Freesat brings BET HD to UK". Digital Spy. 2009-06-25.
- ^ "Channels Line-Ups". Zuku. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
- ^ [1] Archived June 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ BET goes all digital in UK with My5 shift Digital TV Europe. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021
- BET Networks
- English-language television stations in the United Kingdom
- Television channels and stations established in 2008
- Black British music
- 2008 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Television channels and stations disestablished in 2021
- Defunct television channels in the United Kingdom
- 2021 disestablishments in the United Kingdom