BET

BET, short for Black Entertainment Television, launched on January 25, 1980, as a two-hour weekly programming block on USA Network. Robert L. Johnson, a former cable lobbyist, secured a $15,000 loan and a $500,000 investment from John Malone to get it off the ground. His then-wife Sheila Crump Johnson also played a key role in those early years. The network went full-time in September 1982, carried on satellite and cable systems, and gradually expanded its schedule beyond music videos and reruns.

Through the 1980s, BET grew across North America and the Caribbean, becoming a leading niche network for Black audiences. It went public in 1991 on the New York Stock Exchange, then Johnson and partners took it private again in 1998. In 2000, Viacom acquired BET for roughly $2.3 to $3 billion, one of the biggest media deals involving a Black-owned company. After Viacom merged with CBS to form ViacomCBS (later Paramount Global), and then with Skydance Media in 2025, BET became the flagship of BET Media Group within Paramount Skydance Corporation.

Today, BET reaches about 67 million U.S. pay-TV households as of November 2023, down from a peak of 92 million in 2011, reflecting cord-cutting across the industry. The network remains a cultural hub, known for original series like The Game and Being Mary Jane, Tyler Perry-produced shows, and major events like the BET Awards and BET Hip Hop Awards. It also operates sister channels BET Her and has a strong digital presence through BET.com and social media. [edit]