BET International is a television channel

Television channel

A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...

 in the UK, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

. It was launched on Wednesday 27 February 2008 in the UK with headquarters in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. BET is a mix of content from the main Black Entertainment Television

Black Entertainment Television

Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...

 channel in the US and locally produced shows.

History

BET International Inc was given a license to broadcast in the UK in May 2007 by Ofcom

Ofcom

Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...

. In 2006 it was announced that BET

Bet

Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...

 would hold its first annual Hip-Hop Awards and as part of the announcement they also stated there would be a "Best UK Artist" category, the winner being Sway

Sway DaSafo

Derek Andrew Safo is a Ghanaian British musician who uses the stage names Sway DaSafo or Sway. He is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik record label and he is also a producer, establishing DCypha Productions.-Childhood:...

 .

Availability

BET launched on the Sky platform in the UK on February 27, 2008, one day earlier than originally advertised. It began with various BET content, such as 106 & Park

106 & Park

106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...

, American Gangster

American Gangster (TV series)

American Gangster is a documentary television series, which airs on BET. The show features some of black America's most infamous and powerful gangsters. It is narrated by Ving Rhames. The series premiered on November 28, 2006, with this episode amassing around one million viewers. The first season...

and College Hill. The channel is available on Sky 191 and a one hour timeshift channel is available on Sky 198. The channel launched on Freesat

Freesat

Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...

 in August 2008, on channel 140. BET +1 was added to Freesat when it launched in late 2008.. These signals are also available for free in the rest of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 via satellite Eurobird 1

Eurobird 1

Eurobird 1 is a Eutelsat operated Eurobird satellite, used primarily for digital television. It is located at 28.5° east in the Clarke Belt, just within the range of most satellite dishes pointed at SES Astra's Astra 2A, 2B and 2D at 28.2° east...

.

On September 24, 2008 tests appear for BET on Virgin TV but the channel did not launch.

The channel is also available in Nigeria via HiTV (Pay-TV), in South Africa through MultiChoice and via Orbit Showtime Network in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

.

BET HD

On 1 July 2009, BET launched a temporary HD channel, exclusively on Freesat

Freesat

Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...

, simulcasting BET, to cover the BET Awards

BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...

 in honour of the late "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. The channel was removed from the EPG on 4 July 2009.

Programming

These are some of the programs currently running on BET UK:

• 106 & Park
  106 & Park
  106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
  
  
• 106 & Park Presents
• Access Granted
  Access Granted
  Access Granted is an American television series that features an in depth look at the planning and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week, a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video premiering at the end of the episode. The series began airing in 2001...
  
  
• American Gangster
  American Gangster (TV series)
  American Gangster is a documentary television series, which airs on BET. The show features some of black America's most infamous and powerful gangsters. It is narrated by Ving Rhames. The series premiered on November 28, 2006, with this episode amassing around one million viewers. The first season...
  
  
• Baldwin Hills
  Baldwin Hills (TV series)
  Baldwin Hills is an American reality television series featuring African-American teenagers from the Baldwin Hills district in Los Angeles, California. The series aired on BET from July 2007 to March 2009.- Overview :...
  
  
• The BET Honours
• BET Now
• Bobby Jones Gospel
• Brothers to Brutha
  Brothers to Brutha
  Brothers to Brutha is a reality show on BET that premiered November 18, 2008. It follows five brothers who have a record deal on Island Def Jam Music Group as the R&B group Brutha. The show aired Tuesday nights at 10:30pm. The First Season consisted of six episodes. A Second Season has been...
  
  
• College Hill
• Comic View
• The Deal
• Frankie & Neffe
  Frankie & Neffe
  Frankie & Neffe is a reality show that debuted on August 25, 2009 on BET. The series chronicles the lives of R&B singer Keyshia Cole's biological mother and sister, Frankie Lons and Neffeteria Pugh. The series is preceded by Cole's reality show Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is...
  
  
• Harlem Heights
  Harlem Heights (TV series)
  Harlem Heights is a BET reality show. It documents the lives of eight trendy African-American 20-somethings as they navigate through relationships and their professional lives. The series airs Mondays only on BET. The future of the show is unknown...
  
  
• Hell Date
  Hell Date
  Hell Date is a popular dating show on Black Entertainment Television with a unique twist.-Plot:The show starts with one unsuspecting dater telling the viewers who his/her ideal mate is. This individual thinks that he/she is on a standard dating show, such as "Blind Date", where both daters have...
  
  
• First In
• Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is
  Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is
  Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is is R&B singer Keyshia Cole's own reality show, which aired on BET. The series was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. The series debuted July 12, 2006 and concluded on December 30, 2008...
  
  
• Lift Very Voice
• Meet the Faith
• The Mo'Nique Show
  The Mo'Nique Show
  The Mo'Nique Show is an American talk show hosted by comedienne actress Mo'Nique. Aired on BET, the series began October 5, 2009. She is the first African American woman to host her own late night show. The show's second and final season premiered on Monday, October 4, 2010.On July 18, 2011, BET...
  
  
• Played by Fame
• Pay It Off
• The Pull Up
• Real Life Divas
• Rising Icons
• Soul Sessions
• Spring Bling 2009
• Sunday Best
  Sunday Best (show)
  Sunday Best is a reality television Gospel singing competition series which airs on BET.Each season the show and its judges set out to find the best undiscovered gospel talent in America. Finalist compete each week until a winner is crowned...
  
  
• Tears, Sheers & Beauty
• Tiny & Toya
• Welcome to Dreamland
• The Wendy Williams Show
  The Wendy Williams Show
  The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
  
  
• The Game