BET Titles Created by Tyler Perry Now Available to Be Licensed to SVOD, AVOD, FAST Platforms
The move to potentially license top BET shows like “Sistas” comes as BET itself is possibly up for sale.
Until now, Tyler Perry’s fans could only find shows like “Sistas,” “The Oval” and others on BET or its companion on-demand streaming service BET+. But a new exclusive from Variety indicates that titles created by Perry are to become available for licensing by third parties.
- A total of eight shows created by Tyler Perry will be licensed to third-party outlets.
- The titles are comprised of more than 750 episodes, totaling almost 600 hours of content.
- There is still no resolution on what Paramount intends to do with BET Media Group, which could be sold in the coming months.
Which Shows From Tyler Perry Are Becoming Available for Licensing?
In addition to “Sistas” and “The Oval,” Variety reports that “House of Payne,” “Zatima,” and “All the Queen's Men” will be eligible for licensing or syndication soon. The report does not specify which other Perry titles are to be included.
There have been no actual licensing deals agreed to by BET yet, so it’s hard to say where they’ll end up once they become officially available. Netflix is usually a streamer to keep an eye on when it comes to licensing; it has seen excellent results from licensing “Suits” from Peacock and several HBO Originals from Max, and is always on the lookout for new possibilities in that regard. The Paramount-owned free streaming service Pluto TV is also a logical candidate.
“In 2017, we began our historic partnership with Tyler Perry, and every year since his content arrived, BET has driven growth across our ecosystem,” said Scott Mills, CEO of BET Media Group. “To date, the Tyler Perry portfolio of content is among the highest-rated programming among Black Americans on television. Our offering of Tyler Perry’s expansive library of hit series will offer third-party platforms a unique opportunity that will increase retention and super-serve viewers like never before.”
Will Licensing Deals Impact the Future of BET?
The news that these series will soon be available for licensing and syndication comes as questions about the fate of BET are numerous. Paramount Global owns BET Media Group, but recent reports indicate that sale talks surrounding BET have heated up for the second time in the past year.
Tyler Perry was a leading candidate to purchase BET Media Group in the summer of 2023. Perry already owns a minority stake in BET, but he walked away from the process discontent with how Paramount conducted negotiations, and it seems unlikely that he’ll reengage with the company unless the asking price has dropped considerably.
These future licensing deals are unlikely to have a major effect on Paramount’s decision to sell or keep BET. But they may help a prospective buyer decide if they want to pursue BET or not; successful deals that drive up engagements for the titles would show potential buyers that BET’s content is in high demand.
It will bear watching to see which streaming outlets decide to pursue this selection of Tyler Perry-created content from BET. The Streamable will cover any such licensing deals and will keep you up-to-date on where you can stream titles like “House of Payne” and “All the Queen’s Men” going forward.
BET+
BET+ is an online streaming service from BET Networks, launched as a joint venture with Tyler Perry Studios. As one of the largest online subscription video-on-demand services focused on the Black audience and lovers of Black culture, BET+ features more than 1,000 hours of premium content including new, exclusive programming, iconic TV series, movie favorites, as well as documentaries, and specials from BET Networks. BET+ offers original programming from Tyler Perry, including his plays, series, and box office hits.