Country | United States |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Nationwide |
Headquarters | New York City, New York |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Paramount Global |
Parent | BET Media Group (CBS Entertainment Group) |
Sister channels | List
|
History | |
Launched | August 1, 1998 |
Former names | VH1 Soul (1998-2015) |
Links | |
Website | BET Soul [ dead link ] |
Availability | |
Streaming media | |
FuboTV | Internet Protocol television |
BET Soul (formally VH1 Soul) is an American pay television network that debuted on August 1, 1998, and is currently owned by Paramount Global's BET Media Group. The channel showcases R&B, funk, soul, neo soul, hip hop, jazz and Motown music from various decades.
Soul was originally a commercial-free service, along with sister channel VH1 Smooth, and part of the "MTV Digital Suite" of digital cable channels (which was sold only to cable providers to give them an advantage over satellite services). The first video shown on the channel was "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire. [1]
On December 28, 2015, management of the channel was moved to BET Networks. It was subsequently rebranded as BET Soul that same day, and became a sister channel to BET. [2] The move would be part of a series of programming and management shifts within then-parent company Viacom in the coming years. [3] In 2019, the legacy assets of Viacom and CBS Corporation would be reunited in a merger between the two companies that led to the formation of ViacomCBS, later to be rebranded as Paramount Global.
On November 9, 2022, oversight of VH1 would move to the later-renamed BET Media Group. The move reunited the two networks, while also splitting them from MTV and its other formerly-branded sibling channels (VH1 Classic and VH1 Country). [4]
VH1 is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the BET Media Group subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group based in New York City. The network was originally owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment; a division of Warner Communications, and the original owner of then-sister channel MTV at the time. It was launched in the channel space of Turner Broadcasting System's short-lived Cable Music Channel.
Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is currently owned by the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched as a program block on January 25, 1980, BET would eventually become a full-fledged channel on July 1, 1983.
Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles.
Paramount Media Networks is an American mass media division of Paramount Global that oversees the operations of its television channels and online brands. The division was originally founded as MTV Networks in 1984, named after the MTV cable network. It would be known under this name until 2011; when it would be thereafter known as Viacom Media Networks until 2019; and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks until 2022.
Pop, commonly referred to as Pop TV, is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global under its networks division through MTV Entertainment Group. It is a general entertainment channel, focusing primarily on programs pertaining to popular culture.
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Logo TV is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment programming targeting LGBTQ audiences.
TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and classic television series, original scripted series and limited theatrically released movies. The network is headquartered at One Astor Plaza in New York City.
BET Her is an American basic cable television network currently owned by the BET Media Group subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group.
CMT is an American pay TV network that launched on March 5, 1983. It is currently owned by Paramount Global through its MTV Entertainment Group division.
Paramount Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA) is a division of Paramount International Networks which is fully owned by Paramount Global. The unit's headquarters are in Madrid, with additional offices in Berlin, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Dubai, Johannesburg, Lagos, Budapest, Warsaw, Singapore, Stockholm, Tokyo, Beijing, Manila, Copenhagen, Prague, Helsinki, and Hong Kong. The company was originally founded under the name MTV Networks Europe in 1987.
Paramount Networks Americas (PNA) is a subsidiary of Paramount Global. PNA's operational headquarters is located in Miami, Florida.
MTV Live is a 24-hour American pay television music video channel owned by Paramount Global. The channel, which broadcasts exclusively in 1080i high definition, broadcasts music videos and music-related programming from Paramount owned networks MTV, MTV Classic, VH1 and CMT, along with other concert and live music programming from outside producers.
Viacom International Inc. is the international division of the Paramount Media Networks subsidiary of Paramount Global that oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of its brands outside of the United States. These brands include Paramount Network, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and BET, as well as CBS-branded channels co-owned with AMC Networks International. PIN also owned a 30% stake in the Rainbow S.p.A. animation studio in Italy from 2011 to 2023 and a stake in Viacom18, an Indian joint venture with domestic partner TV18, from 2007 to 2024.
Black Entertainment Television LLC is a subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global under its CBS Entertainment unit. BET oversees television channels and premium services aimed at African Americans, including its namesake cable channel.
The original phase of Viacom Inc. was an American mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in New York City. It began as CBS Television Film Sales, the broadcast syndication division of the CBS television network in 1952; it was renamed CBS Films in 1958, renamed CBS Enterprises in 1968, renamed Viacom in 1970, and spun off into its own company in 1971. Viacom was a distributor of CBS television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and also distributed syndicated television programs. The company went under Sumner Redstone's control in 1987 through his cinema chain company National Amusements.
Robert Marc Bakish is an American business executive. He became the president and CEO of Paramount Global on December 4, 2019, formerly holding the same position at Viacom before the merger with CBS Corporation. He resigned on April 29, 2024 when Paramount was considering a major merger after a poor performance in the stock market.
Paramount Global is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. The company was formed on December 4, 2019, as ViacomCBS through the merger of the second incarnations of CBS Corporation and Viacom. The company took its current name on February 16, 2022.
The 2019 merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom was announced on August 13, 2019, and was completed on December 4, 2019. The merger of equals reunited CBS Corporation and Viacom into a single company known as ViacomCBS after their separation from the first incarnation of Viacom on December 31, 2005. Both companies were owned by the theater company National Amusements, which remains the owner of the merged entity.