Today, BET+ revealed plans to offer a new ad-supported membership tier for a lower cost. BET+ Essentials is scheduled to launch on June 25th, 2023 at 9:00 a.m., just in time for members to catch the 2023 BET Awards airing live that evening.
“A primary focus for BET+ has been delivering consumers the content they want, how they want it, and when they want it, so the natural evolution of the service was to provide consumers with a more economical ad-integrated experience. We are delighted to expand access to our premium streaming service by introducing this ad-supported tier,” says Scott Mills, President and CEO of BET Media Group.
The BET+ Essentials plan will offer the same extensive library of over 2,000 hours of video content dedicated to Black entertainers as its other membership tiers for only $5.99 a month. New members can enjoy a seven-day free trial to check out exclusive original films and series such as Emmy-nominated The Ms. Pat Show, Tyler Perry’s Zatima, and All the Queen’s Men to list a few. New original content premieres each month.
“This lower priced, ad-supported tier of BET+ will not only deliver to our audiences, but to the advertising community, which has long expressed an appetite for more non-linear options in reaching the highly coveted, digital-native Black consumer market. As the preeminent Black streaming service, only BET+ Essential can deliver reach, resonance, relevance, and scale. In fact, 80 percent of BET+ members watch from a connected TV, and, with the launch of our ad-supported option, we offer advertisers the perfect addition to linear, reaching even more Black viewers when they are most engaged.”
Video quality won’t be affected either. The only difference is this tier will have short, limited ads playing before and during a video ranging from 15 – 30 seconds each. This is a win-win situation for audiences and advertisers, who are modernizing their approach to traditional advertisement methods.