The network, which was named Black Entertainment Television (BET), launched on January 25, 1980. Johnson would soon acquire a loan for $15,000 and a $500,000 investment from media executive John Malone to start the network. Johnson decided to launch his own cable television network.
It is owned by the ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks unit of ViacomCBS and has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and was formerly headquartered in Washington, D.C.Īs of February 2015, approximately 88,255,000 American households (75.8% of households with television) receive the channel.Īfter stepping down as a lobbyist for the cable industry, Freeport, Illinois native Robert L. Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American pay television channel targeting African American audiences.
