BET Her
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Network | BET Networks |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Viacom |
BET Her is an American pay television channel owned by Viacom. The network primarily broadcasts movies targeting African-American women.
The channel originally launched in 1996 as BET on Jazz, a spin-off from BET with a focus on jazz music programming targeting African Americans. In 2006, the network was re-positioned as BET J to expand its scope to include other music programming of interest to the audience as a companion to BET's soul and hip-hop-oriented digital networks. In 2009, the network re-launched as Centric, with a focus on lifestyle and music programming targeting an upscale African-American audience. In 2014, the network re-positioned its programming to target African-American women, and in 2017, re-branded under its current name.
As of February 2015, approximately 51,829,000 American households (44.5% of households with television) received the network.[1]
History
The channel launched on January 15, 1996, as BET on Jazz,[2] as a spin-off channel to BET. In 2002, it was renamed BET Jazz. On March 1, 2006, the network was re-branded as BET J and the focus shifted from a pure jazz channel to a more general interest service. While jazz music still remained the stated primary focus, programming expanded to include a block of Caribbean programs as well as some R&B, neo soul, reggaetón and alternative hip hop. To a lesser extent, BET J also focused on go-go, electronica and alternative rock. Programs included My Two Cents with Keith Boykin, Bryonn Bain, Crystal McCarey Anthony and Staceyann Chin, The Best Shorts hosted by Abiola Abrams, Living the Life of Marley about Ky-Mani Marley, My Model is Better Than Your Model with Eva Pigford and The Turn On hosted by Charlotte Burley.
On April 24, 2009, network officials announced it would rebrand BET J as Centric, a new general entertainment network with lifestyle and music programming targeting "upscale" African-American adults. The new channel was considered to be a competitor to Radio One and Comcast's TV One, a similar network catering the demographic. Centric's initial lineup primarily featured programming sourced from other MTV Networks channels and other programming previously announced for BET J, and it planned to launch original programs in 2010 (such as the reality series Keeping Up With The Joneses and Model City). The channel also picked up reruns of the music series Soul Train, and revived the Soul Train Music Awards. Centric launched on September 28, 2009; its launch day primetime programming featured a tribute to Michael Jackson.[3][4][5]
In its 2014 upfronts, Viacom announced that it would re-position Centric as a network targeting African-American women. Included in the repositioning was a development deal with Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit Entertainment, including a fourth season of its VH1 reality series Single Ladies moving to Centric.[6][7] On September 25, 2017, Centric rebranded as BET Her, in an effort to reinforce the network's commitment to its new target audience, and restore its connection with the BET brand.[8]
Programming
References
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ BET HOLDINGS, INC. REPORTS 2ND QUARTER EARNINGS PER SHARE INCREASE OF 19 PERCENT, PR Newswire, March 11, 1996
- ^ "BET, MTV Take Aim At TV One With Centric Network". Multichannel News. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "BET, MTVN Unveil Centricl". Multichannel News. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ Flint, Joe (April 24, 2009). "BET to cater to middle-aged blacks with Centric cable channel". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ^ "Centric to Center on African-American Women". Multichannel News. Retrieved October 8, 2017.(subscription required)
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. "Watch Rebranded Centric TV Promo ("The First Network Designed for Black Women") + 'Single Ladies' Returns". IndieWire. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (April 27, 2017). "BET Sets New Comedies, Rebrands Centric and Nabs 'The Breaks', 'Hit the Floor' from VH1". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2017.