Paramount Skydance Is Shutting Down One of Its Streaming Services
BET+ is coming to an end. The majority of its library will be folded into the Paramount+ service, Deadline reports.
According to the report, in June, more than 1,000 hours of BET+ content, which includes originals, movies, and specials, will migrate to Paramount+. The news was just shared internally by BET Networks President Louis Carr in a memo.
“This powerful next step ensures the stories we champion, the creators we support and the culture we represent go further than ever before,” Carr wrote in the memo to staffers. All of Tyler Perry’s BET+ library will be folded into Paramount+.
The consolidation is part of the new Paramount leadership’s effort to gain scale and improve economics in the streaming space, which became possible after Paramount bought out Tyler Perry Studios’ ownership in BET+. “As part of this evolution, Paramount acquired Tyler Perry Studios’ equity stake in BET+,” a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement. “We share the same ambition to expand the reach of BET content, and Tyler will continue to be a valued and important partner through his overall programming agreement.”
Under Perry’s most recent nine-figure overall deal with BET Media Group, which doesn’t expire until 2028, he is currently churning out hundreds of new episodes to BET and BET+ (now Paramount+) across existing and new series. He also has deals with Netflix and Prime Video. Current shows on the streamer include Perry’s Ruthless, Divorced Sistas, All the Queen’s Men and Zatima.
On Paramount+, BET+ content will live in the existing BET Hub. The relocation will expand BET+ content’s reach and visibility, moving from a platform with a number of subscribers estimated to be close to 3.5M to Paramount+’s 80M and counting. Current BET+ users who subscribed directly through the app will be offered a discount to join Paramount+ when the app is sunsetted.
