Paramount says its main streaming platform will become a global home of BET streaming content, five years after the linear channel closed in the UK.
- Over 1,000 hours of BET shows coming to Paramount+
- Next stage of consolidation of streaming platforms
- Paramount+ being developed as all-in-one streamer to rival Netflix
Paramount plans to boost the reach of its BET network, by moving content from its US-based BET+ streamer to the global Paramount+ service.
From June, Paramount+ will bring global fans over 1,000 hours of iconic series, films, originals and cultural touchstones from BET. This will include hits like The Ms Pat Show, All The Queen’s Men, Zatima, Average Joe and Diarra from Detroit.
This shift will dramatically increase the potential audience for BET+ programming – from around 3.5 million US subscribers to the 80 million global subscribers of Paramount+. BET content is already available to varying degrees on Paramount+ in various countries. The incoming slate of BET+ shows will sit within the Paramount+ BET Hub.
The move comes five years after BET’s linear channel closed in the UK. Since then, its programming has continued to reach British audiences through Paramount’s other platforms, including a dedicated BET channel on Pluto TV UK. There is currently no indication that these additional outlets will be affected, and they have been credited with helping broaden BET’s reach. It remains unclear, however, whether the shift will change how BET content is offered through Channel 5’s streaming service in the UK, or whether 5 will continue to showcase a limited number of BET shows.
BET+ was never officially available in the UK. As part of Paramount’s consolidation strategy, BET+ in the USA will close. BET’s US linear channel will continue to operate as normal.
Consolidation
Paramount is currently working to make efficiency savings after the rapid expansion of its business. As part of this, it wants to replace various standalone premium streaming services with just one main streamer: Paramount+.
Paramount has indicated that once it completes taking over Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), it will seek to continue that consolidation. That means HBO Max, which launches next week in the UK and Ireland is expected to eventually migrate to Paramount+. The same fate also awaits Discovery+. Paramount wants to achieve a whopping $6 billion in cost savings through efficiencies once it acquires WBD.
In addition to its premium service Paramount+, Paramount also operates free-to-stream Pluto TV and “5”, created by the combination of Channel 5 and My 5 in 2025. These free services look set to continue on a standalone basis, but will share the same technology platform as Paramount+.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Paramount