BET+ Will Launch Lower-Cost Ad-Supported Tier Timed to Next Month’s BET Awards
variety.comMichael Schneider Variety Editor at Large BET will launch a new lower-priced ad-supported tier to its BET+ streaming service, which launched in September 2019.
The “BET+ Essential” service will cost $5.99 a month, compared to $9.99 for the ad-free version, and will launch at 9 a.m. PT on June 25 — timed to the live 2023 BET Awards that night.
BET president/CEO Scott Mills and BET+ exec VP/general manager Devin Griffin were set to announce the new tier on Thursday morning, as they and BET Media Group media sales president Louis Carr prepare to pitch it to advertisers.
As part of that pitch, BET is revealing subscriber numbers for BET+ for the first time: More than 3 million. The company expects to grow that number, and although some users will migrate to the lower-cost tier, Mills said he expects to see a net gain. “We’ve been pretty conservative in terms of estimating, I think, and actually we’re going to see a far bigger number than we forecast,” he said. “Advertisers have just been very excited about this opportunity to to avail themselves of the expansion in reach.
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