There are reportedly over 200 streaming services in the United States alone, and now Tyler Perry and BET want a piece of the pie. The media mogul and the popular urban network are planning to launch a new subscription-based streaming service called BET+. According to Deadline, they will offer TV shows and films from fellow Viacom flagships MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. It's believed that Perry will begin plugging the service and the forthcoming BET Awards.
It wouldn't be surprising to see original programming, including both films and television series, flooding the streaming service from Tyler Perry Studios, too. There's not yet word on how much the service will cost viewers, but Deadline suggests that it will be comparable, if not slightly less, than what's currently being offered in the market. The Wall Street Journal spoke to a source who claims to have intimate knowledge of the deal, and they made it clear that BET and Perry are looking to tap into the African American market, not become the next big global competitor.
“This really suggests quite a significant opportunity to complement the services that are out there,” the person said. “This is not about replacing a Netflix or replacing a Hulu or replacing an Amazon.”
