Posted February 20, 2008 -- London, stand up! BET is headed over the pond. BET Networks will launch a channel on Sky Guide which reaches 8.8 million homes in the United Kingdom. The network will initially program current BET favorites like "106 & Park" "Sunday Best" "BET Honors" and "American Gangster" but will add more regional content in the future.
BET will be introduced to the U.K. free-to-air on February 28. The leading network for African-Americans, BET already reaches over 87 million households in the U.S., Canada and the Carribean.
"We’re thrilled to be able to bring high quality, Black cultural content to communities around the world and deliver on our commitment to expand the BET brand internationally,” said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. “For more than 27 years, BET Networks has been the leader in providing premium entertainment to African American audiences, and we’re so excited to establish BET as the premier destination for UK audiences to enjoy content that reflects the many viewpoints of the Black experience."
The U.K.can also look forward to BET News specials, including "Life and Death in Darfur: Jeff Johnson Reports" and "Hip-Hop Vs. America."
The ten-years running Emmy-winning Rap-It-Up campaign, which encourages young people to practice safe sex through informational PSA's, documentaries and special programming, will also be a large part of the U.K.'s initial programming lineup.
“BET has been building a presence among our core target audience in the United Kingdom for more than two years,” said Michael D. Armstrong, Senior Vice President and General Manager, BET International. “For the UK version of BET, we will be giving BET’s U.S. content a regionalised look and feel that reflects the UK marketplace, and as we grow and develop the channel, we look forward to partnering with the UK creative industry to give BET an even stronger British accent.”
Here's a description of the initial shows that will air on BET U.K.:
• 106 & PARK - As BET’s highest-rated music and variety series of all time, 106 & PARK has quickly become the leading music video countdown, performance and interview show on television.
• COLLEGE HILL – Reality TV reaches new heights as BET’s COLLEGE HILL exposes real student life - drama and all - in the quest for higher education.
• MEET THE FAITH – The dynamic current events news show hosted by New York Times best-selling author Ian Smith, offers a fresh and provocative take on world events.
• THE BET HONORS – Celebrates Black achievement in business, entertainment, social justice and philanthropy while providing the kind of award-winning, show-stopping musical performances that make BET specials deliver huge results.
• SUNDAY BEST – Hosted by gospel singer Kirk Franklin, SUNDAY BEST is BET’s nationwide search to find the best undiscovered gospel singers in America.
• BALDWIN HILLS – is a reality show filmed in a docudrama style that depicts the privileged and pressured lives of some of Los Angeles, California’s freshest princes and princesses of “Black Beverly Hills.”
• HELL DATE - Contestants seek their soul mates on HELL DATE, a reality dating show featuring a guy or girl who is looking to find true love, but instead is paired with an actor or actress who will actually be their worst nightmares come to life.
• AMERICAN GANGSTER – The critically acclaimed documentary series AMERICAN GANGSTER explores, without glorifying, the rise and fall of some of Black America’s most notorious crime figures.