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It is always nice when we can see a network of cable television from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s successfully make the shift to the internet age. Not every channel has been able to pull this off, at least not in a way that allows them to retain relevancy. But, then again, not every channel offers a range of entertainment that has retained an equal amount of demand in the 21st century as it did in the 20th.
As the 21st century progresses, it seems that the most successful businesses are those that can cater to entertainment in some way. This is evident in music, movies, television, and even entertainment news. With the rise of binge culture thanks to Netflix and other similar forms of entertainment, it could be argued that pop culture is more pervasive today than ever before.
Furthermore, it seems as if black entertainment specifically has a wider appeal than it ever before. Hip hop is one of the most popular musical genres in the world, and there's a renewed mass-market demand for black artists, actors, musicians, and culture in general.
That is not to say that there has not always been demand for black art. Of course, we are all well aware of how commercially successful Elvis Presley was able to become in the 1950s and 60s by appropriating and whitewashing black music. Heck, even rock and roll itself is steeped heavily in black musical roots such as the blues, jazz, and gospel. The main difference, today, however, lies in the fact that more than ever before black music's commercial success hinges much less on creating white versions of it - opening more doors for truly black forms of art than ever before were open, at least in mainstream pop culture.
Whereas mainstream networks such as BET find commercial success by catering to a wider audience of people of color, black news and entertainment outlets have reached a new level of mainstream recognition which allows them to focus on traditionally black audiences.
History
After many years of working as a lobbyist for the cable industry, Robert L. Johnson decided that he was ready to retire from that profession and start his own cable television network. He got a $15,000 loan from a friend and a $150,000 investment from media executive John Malone, and set out to create his own vision for the network.
Johnson launched BET on January 25th, 1980. BET originally aired as a two-hour per week block of programming on the Madison Square Garden Sports Network (three months after BET launched, MSGSN changed its name to the USA Network). In its infancy, BET focused primarily on airing music videos and reruns of famous black sitcoms. By 1983, though, BET had become a full-scale cable network of its own, independent of USA or any other block of programming available at the time.
In 1991, BET became the first black-owned television network to ever be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This gave BET the resources it needed to expand its programming into new markets and launch expansion networks designed specifically for smaller subsets of the black community, like BET Her.
In 1998, BET teamed up with Starz! to create a premium channel devoted to black movies. This led to the network officially losing its status as a majority black-owned company and it was eventually swallowed up by the media conglomerate, Viacom, who acquired the network for $3 billion. To this day, though, BET still stands as perhaps the only cable network devoted solely to black entertainment.
Design
Upon landing on the home page of BET.com, you will immediately be able to understand how to use it. It is very intuitive and is also very well-organized and clean. I am, personally, a big fan of clean lines and clearly delineated sections and boxes to fit content into when it comes to website design. Maybe it's just my OCD at work, but BET quells my OCD concerns that I tend to have on other entertainment sites. It is loaded with content and information, flashy and stylish all without being overwhelming or distracting.
Your eyes will first be directed to the two boxes on the top of the page. At this time, those boxes are clearly labeled "NAACP Image Awards" and "Shows." If you're following black current events, you'll find all of the latest information on upcoming NAACP Image Awards here. If you're more interested in watching your favorite BET shows, there they are right at your fingertips - no need to go searching!
Scroll down the page to find the individual sections. Simply scroll until you find what you're looking for, or click on the Shows, Music, BET+, News, Celebs, Style, and More tabs at the top of the page to access all of the site's content in one place. I love how easy and intuitive this site is to use!
Content
Well, as I mentioned before, BET caters to black entertainment. That means if something is owned, operated, created, or important to black pop culture, BET has the scoop on it. The articles are mostly journalistic in nature - informative, engaging, and often well-written - sometimes with an op-ed slant. This is refreshing from an entertainment news site.
BET offers a variety of entertainment options, including news about popular black entertainers. You can also watch current shows and tune into live BET broadcasts any time of day or night, as long as you have a cable subscription.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
I've already sung the praises of BET's desktop and web browsing experience. Oh, by the way, the mobile version of the site is just as good, too. But one more thing that makes BET stand out is the fact that it offers two separate apps in addition to this expertly designed website: BET Now and BET+.
BET Now is, basically, the app version of BET.com. It lets you do everything that you can do on the website, just in a more streamlined fashion, on your phone. In order to get the most out of this app, you'll have to sign in with your cable provider.
Bet+ is BET's own premium subscription-based streaming service. With Bet+, you can stream hundreds of hours of classic movies, old television shows, and exclusive BET+ content that you can't find anywhere else. This app is better designed than BET Now, but for a free app, BET Now is certainly nothing to trash either. Whether on your computer or your mobile device, there are plenty of easy and enjoyable ways to indulge in great black content thanks to BET.
Pricing and Plans
So, as I began to talk about a moment ago, there are a few different ways to enjoy BET at various levels, with varying payments and arrangements to made (as well as simply using BET.com as a news site without any paywall).
To watch BET's current content and live TV, you need a cable provider.
And BET+ will run you $9.99 per month. It's something to consider if you have room in your budget for another paid streaming service.
Suggestions that I have for BET
I understand that BET is, first and foremost, an entertainment news site. So I would like to see BET expand its hard news section to include more political and activist articles pertaining to both local black communities and national and global black news.
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