BET Plus Launches in Crowded Subscription Streaming Video Market

BET Plus launched in the U.S. Thursday, with apps available for Android and Apple mobile devices and Amazon Fire TVs; it also will be available on Amazon Prime Video, it said. BET Plus is a joint BET Networks-Tyler Perry Studios venture, aimed at “lovers of Black stories.” Subscribers can access more than 1,000 hours of ad-free content including from sister Viacom networks. Monthly subscriptions are $9.99. In an expanding streaming video service market, Parks Associates reported Tuesday subscriptions account for nearly 86 percent of all internet spending on TV and movies, up from just over half in 2012. Services launching over the next several months are taking different approaches in the crowded space, said Brett Sappington. Upcoming services including Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus will cause a spike in consumer spending for video services but “tradeoff decisions will come later,” said the analyst: “To keep consumers spending at this higher level, services will have to consistently deliver volumes of compelling content within an engaging user experience.”