BET is one of the best entertainment channels and a destination for many viewers. It’s so popular that it is included in most streaming service plans. Read on to learn all the options available to cord-cutters.
In a hurry? If you want to get watching BET now and don’t care to deal with all the options, try one of these services:
- Fubo: With 150+ channels, it offers something for everyone. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial!
- Philo: Super inexpensive live TV streaming service with 7-day free trial.
- Sling TV: Probably the best streaming service in terms of customization with a 50% discount your first month.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports, TV and movies because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve. Signup now.
Table Of Contents
There may be others now, but BET was the original Black-owned, Black-focused channel. It goes all the way back to 1980 when it was just a two-hour weekly programming block on USA Network consisting of music videos and reruns of African-American sitcoms.
BET continued to grow in viewership, and in 1991 became the first Black-controlled TV company to be listed on the NYSE. The channel began experimenting with original programming, before and after it was purchased by Viacom in 2001.
Though today BET faces competition for the African-American demographic, it remains one of the most widely distributed cable channels, reaching over 90 million American households.
But you don’t have to have a cable subscription to find out what’s going on with your fave Tyler Perry series — read on to find out how to keep on watching BET without cable.
BET and Related Channels
BET has spawned a number of spin-off channels over the years:
- BET Her: The self-described “first network designed with Black women in mind,” it features Black women-led programming such as BET Her Presents: The Couch (short films that explore themes of mental health) and The Waiting Room (a short film series that follows various women after they are diagnosed with breast cancer). It also features conversations with leading Black women like Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris.
- BET Soul: Originally VH1 Soul, this channel keeps a focus on new and classic R&B and soul music videos (with a side of rap, hiphop, jazz, and other soul-influenced and influencing genres). It features artists like Big KRIT, Robert Glasper, Koffee, Common, PJ, Maxwell, Skip Marley, Tomi Thomas, Trevor Jackson, and CANDIACE.
- BET Jams: The former MTV Jams plays hip-hop and rap music videos, sometimes overlapping a little with BET Soul. Occasionally they run themed blocks such as “West Coast Wednesday,” “Slow Jams”, “Throwback Thursday,” and “Face-Off Friday.” Featured artists include Babyface Ray, Domani, Vado, Capella Gray, Lil Donald, and Chlöe.
The networks are now part of the larger Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) family, which includes CBS, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and Paramount Network.
While BET may have been the first, there are now a number of channels that target African-American viewers: AMC Networks‘ Allblk, aspireTV, Black News Channel (BNC), TV One and Cleo TV, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), and Showtime’s SHOxBET.
BET is a pay-TV channel, meaning you can’t pick it up free “over the air” (OTA) with an antenna. You need a subscription to a pay-TV service to watch it. That service used to be only through cable or satellite. But now there are over a half-dozen companies that offer the same channels at lower prices, with no long-term commitments or contracts.
Which services carry BET? Take a look at the next section to find out.
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Streaming Services with BET
Because BET has been around so long and is such a staple channel, it shouldn’t be surprising that every major streaming service carries it. This is great for you the viewer because it means you can look at the features that each service provides and choose the one that’s right for you.
You have the whole bunch to choose from. While all the services offer BET, and a few have BET Her, only FuboTV also has BET Jams and BET Soul, so we’ll start there.
FuboTV
FuboTV started off as an attempt to make European soccer more accessible to Americans. Today it’s expanded well beyond that to cover all kinds of sports all over the world, plus a great non-sports selection.
Fubo’s plans start at 130+ channels for $79.99/mo, which includes BET, all the Paramount Global channels (Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Nick, Paramount), and Oprah Winfrey Network.
The three BET spin-off channels are part of the Fubo Extra add-on, which is an additional $7.99/mo. As mentioned before, this is the only place you’ll find BET Soul or BET Jams on a live-streaming service. SHOxBET is part of the Showtime premium package for $10.99/mo.
FuboTV can stream on up to 10 devices at a time and comes with 1000 hours of cloud DVR and all your local network stations.
Our FuboTV review has more details.
Philo
Philo is a really sweet deal: over 60 live TV channels for $25/mo and no, that’s not a typo. You can stream on up to three screens at a time, and you have unlimited cloud DVR storage. They also have one of the more solid Black channel line-ups: BET, BET Her, aspireTV, Cleo TV, Oprah Winfrey Network, and TV One.
On the downside, you get no local channels, no Warner/Turner or NBCUniversal stations, and not a single sports station, which is a deal-breaker for a lot of people.
Check out our Philo review for all the details.
Sling TV
The base Sling TV plans are $40.00/mo, and both come with BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon.
Allblk and SHOxBET are both available as premium channels. Sling also offers 50 hours of DVR storage, and Sling Blue includes your local NBC and Fox stations. Save 50% on Sling TV now!
Read our Sling TV review for more information.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) features over 75 channels in its Entertainment plan for $79.99/mo. It includes BET, all of BET’s CBS sister channels, and the Black News Channel. If you upgrade to the $108.99/mo Choice package, you’ll also get Cleo TV, TV One, and Oprah Winfrey Network.
In addition, the Choice package has regional sports networks so you can catch all your local teams’ games regardless of where you live. Go up another tier to Ultimate ($119.99/mo) and there’s aspireTV and BET Her.
All packages offer streaming on unlimited different devices around your home at a time, unlimited cloud DVR (as long as you sign up online), and all your local networks.
See our DIRECTV STREAM review for more information.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu has a great on-demand library, but Hulu + Live TV takes its service to the next level. For $76.99/mo, you get over 85 live TV channels, ESPN+, and Disney+. You also get unlimited cloud DVR with 9 month storage and streaming on up to 2 screens at a time.
Hulu Live’s channels include BET, all your network stations, and all the Paramount Global networks. BET Her is available in the Entertainment add-on for $7.99/mo. And you can get SHOxBET with any premium Showtime subscription through Hulu for $10.99/mo.
Read our Hulu + Live TV review for more.
Vidgo
Vidgo is a good mid-level service: 110+ channels for $69.99/mo, streamable on up to 3 devices simultaneously. The Plus plan includes BET, aspireTV, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Oprah Winfrey Network, and TV One.
Unfortunately, Vidgo doesn’t include any DVR storage or on-demand content. It’s also missing all AMC Network, Warner/Turner, and NBCUniversal channels. But it does include ABC and Fox and a good selection of sports channels.
See our Vidgo review for more.
Other Ways to Stream BET
There are a few more ways to keep up with your favorite BET shows:
- YouTube TV: A similar service to Hulu + Live TV, you get 100+ channels for $72.99/mo, including BET and BET Her.
- BET Now: Has BET content available for on-demand streaming. Most of it requires a pay account to access but some is available free to watch.
- Pluto TV: Paramount Global’s free multichannel service has both a BET Her and a BET Pluto TV channel. BET Her offers content similar to the pay channel, but Pluto’s BET is exclusively movies, no series.
- Paramount+: Paramount Global’s low-cost on-demand streaming service has content from all their biggest brands, including BET.
BET+
BET+ is a Black culture-focused on-demand video service presented by BET and Tyler Perry Studios. Perry, who was previously producing series exclusively for OWN, has now switch to exclusive production (about 90 episodes annually) for Paramount Global (which owns BET).
Like most network-centric streaming services, it features a selection of original series that are only on BET+ such as Sacrifice, American Gangster: Trap Queens, Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, and First Wives Club. It also shows classic comedy hits like Martin, The Parkers, The Jamie Foxx Show, and The Bernie Mac Show.
Subscriptions are $9.99/mo after a seven-day free trial.
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TVs and Streaming Devices for BET
You can stream BET on most modern TVs and devices. All the services we’ve highlighted support the “stick” devices: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku.
Android and iOS mobile devices are also universally supported. And you can cast from them (and some web browsers) to your TV with Chromecast.
Except for DIRECTV STREAM, all the services support devices based on Android TV.
Other than Philo and Vidgo, all the services allow you to watch BET on Samsung smart TVs. Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV also allow LG and Vizio smart TVs. You can use FuboTV with Hisense TVs.
Hulu, Sling, and FuboTV support the Xbox One gaming console. Hulu + Live TV also supports the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
These are just the most popular devices supported. There are complete lists in our individual streaming service reviews.
Today’s BET Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Cousins Will must explain himself when Sasha discovers bachelor-party photos on his cell phone. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Body Brown drives everyone crazy as he prepares for a magazine writer who is doing an article on the house. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Mexican Jesus gets in trouble when he tells his father that he is a successful lawyer. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Entrepreneur When Will gets cold feet about being a father to Brianna and Joaquin, Brianna overhears him venting to Brown about his doubts. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Ex Will's free-spirited ex-girlfriend shows up as a donor for a charity benefit. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the E.R. When Brown is shot during a robbery at a convenience store, his pride hurts more than his body. | |
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne – Guys' Night Out, Girls' Night In When Curtis, C.J. and Calvin take Malik camping for male bonding, Malik does not return after gathering wood; Ella, Jazmine and Claretha enjoy a night at home. | |
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne – How Do You Spell It's All About Me? Malik gives Jazmine innovative help in dealing with the reigning champion when she competes in a spelling bee; Curtis thinks Ella is having an affair with her trainer. | |
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne – And ... Cut! Ella decides to prohibit the use of electronic gadgets in the house after hearing a church sermon; a movie star hangs out at the barbershop to prepare for a role. | |
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne – Old School vs. New School Malik's birthday party does not come close to his expectations; Floyd must lay off one of his employees because of financial difficulties. | |
| Family Matters – Rachel's First Date Desperate for some time alone with Harriette (JoMarie Payton-France), Carl (Reginald VelJohnson) encourages Rachel (Telma Hopkins) to start dating again. | |
| Family Matters – Straight A's Carl and Harriette (Reginald VelJohnson, JoMarie Payton-France) are thrilled when Eddie (Darius McCrary) brings home an unexpected straight-A report card. | |
| Family Matters – Mr. Badwrench Carl and Eddie (Reginald VelJohnson, Darius McCrary) attempt to install a new shower for Grandma Winslow (Rosetta LeNoire). | |
| Family Matters – Body Damage Rachel and Harriette (Telma Hopkins, JoMarie Payton-France) wreck Carl's (Reginald VelJohnson) vintage patrol car. | |
| My Wife and Kids – A Little Romance Just when Michael is feeling frustrated about his love life, his brother visits with his sexy new girlfriend. | |
| My Wife and Kids – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow Michael takes living life to its fullest a little too far after his accountant (Doug Banks) unexpectedly dies. | |
| My Wife and Kids – Mom's Away Michael is left in charge of the house when Janet leaves to tend to her sick mother, and must contend with multiple problems. | |
| My Wife and Kids – Mom's Away Michael contends with multiple problems, including a positive pregnancy test, a sad 6-year-old and Jr.'s basketball troubles. | |
| Martin – Scrooge The spirits of Christmases past, present and yet-to-come visit Martin; with Jackie Chan. | |
| Martin – Waiting, Debating and Ovulating Martin (Martin Lawrence) tries to escape jury duty in order to conceive a child with Gina (Tisha Campbell). | |
| Movie – Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls An unexpected romance blooms between a struggling mechanic (Idris Elba) and the attorney (Gabrielle Union) who is representing him in a custody battle for his young daughters. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to the Bully When Grover gets into a fight with a bully at school, Gemma is torn between her role as principal and wanting to protect her son; Calvin encourages Marty to stand up to his own bully, only to be shocked when he learns who it is. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to the Fresh Coat When Tina decides it's time to make home improvements, Dave volunteers to repaint the Butler house, violating Calvin's "man code" and setting off a chain of events that impacts both families. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to Co-Habitation When Dave accidentally knocks out the Butlers' power during a heat wave, Calvin and Tina spend the night at the Johnsons' home; Malcolm has some fun at Marty's expense when he crashes at his little brother's refurbished apartment. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to Soul Food The Butlers and Johnsons decide to go on a double date, and they all get more than they bargained for at a new restaurant; Grover invites Malcolm and Marty to be the first guests on his new podcast. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to the Wagon Dave and Tina discover a common bond when they attend a concert together; Gemma seeks the Butlers' help when an unwelcome visitor takes up residence in the Johnson home. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to the Vow Renewal As Calvin and Tina near a milestone anniversary, Dave and Gemma decide to help the Butlers have the wedding they missed out on the first time around; Malcolm and Marty prepare an unforgettable performance for their parents' special occasion. | |
| The Neighborhood – Welcome to Bowling Calvin and Dave team up for a chance at bowling championship glory; Gemma and Tina face off against each other for the top ranking in an arcade game. | |
| Movie – Barbershop: The Next Cut With the barbershop now coed, Calvin (Ice Cube), Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) and the rest of the gang come up with a plan to save the neighborhood from crime. | |
| Martin – Goin' Overboard Martin (Martin Lawrence) and his friends go on a romantic cruise where everything seems to go wrong. Guest stars: Lynn Whitfield, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell, Lauren Tewes and Jill Whelan. | |
| Martin – Goin' Overboard Martin (Martin Lawrence) and his friends go on a romantic cruise where everything seems to go wrong. Guest stars: Lynn Whitfield, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell, Lauren Tewes and Jill Whelan. | |
| Martin – You Play Too Much Martin assists a burglar who breaks into his apartment, believing the robbery is a joke set up by Pam and Tommy. | |
| Martin – Ain't That About a Ditch Martin (Martin Lawrence) promises a romantic night out with Gina (Tisha Campbell), but when the night comes, he totally forgets. | |
| Martin – I Martin, Take Thee Pam Martin (Martin Lawrence) discovers that he is still legally married to Pam (Tichina Arnold) and must appease the justice of the peace (guest star David Alan Grier). | |
| Martin – Power to the People's Court After a fender bender, Sheneneh summons Tommy to court; guest Mark Curry. | |
| Martin – Auction Martin gives away a bothersome cuckoo clock and later bids for it at a church auction when it's believed to be priceless. | |
| Martin – Daddy Dearest Tommy (Tommy Ford) competes with his visiting military father; trouble follows after Martin (Martin Lawrence) buys Nipsey's. Guest star: John Amos. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Secret Joaquin's Little League coach is a pedophile; when Cora tries to convince Brown to make a will, he thinks she's out to kill him. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the Intervention An intervention is planned for a lotto addiction; a boy makes an innocent pass at Brianna. | |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns – Meet the New Job Cora gets a full-time job teaching but runs into problems when a student comes to class drunk. |
Wrapping Up
So whether you prefer the female-empowerment bonding of Sistas or the power games of Boomerang or the high drama of The Oval, you don’t need a cable company to watch all your Tyler Perry faves.
Just subscribe to any of the streaming services listed in this article. and tell your cable bill goodbye for good.
FAQ
What shows are on BET?
Recent popular BET original shows include:
- Boomerang
- Death Row Chronicles
- Games People Play
- Hit the Floor
- Murder In The Thirst
- The Oval
- The Quad
- Tales.
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