Here’s Why BET Has Suspended The Soul Train And Hip-Hop Awards

BET has officially hit pause on two of its most iconic shows: the BET Hip-Hop Awards and the Soul Train Awards. Both award shows have reportedly been suspended indefinitely according to the network.

BET CEO Scott Mills confirmed the news in a statement to Billboard, saying, “So for BET linear, we have suspended the Soul Train and Hip-Hop award shows. But we have a team that’s actively thinking about where those award shows might best live as the media climate continues to evolve. They aren’t gone. And we also still have the NAACP Image Awards and the Stellar Awards.”

Clarifying further, he added, “It’s less about them being no longer and more about our team having to reimagine them for this changing media landscape that we find ourselves in. I think what we’re going to see are more people taking franchises and saying, ‘This might have started on linear television, but now I’m going to move it to another space. Do I move it to streaming? Or do I move it to another platform?’”

The BET Hip Hop Awards launched in 2006, while the Soul Train Awards traces back to 1987. For decades, both shows have celebrated artists and influential figures’ contributions to Black culture and music. The original BET Awards currently remains active as it recently celebrated 25 years since its inception.

BET also recently announced a revamping of its hit show 106 & Park into “106 & Sports.” Mills explained to Billboard, “106 & Sports is a collaboration with Spring Hill Entertainment, and everybody is working feverishly to get it ready to launch in the fall. We’re going to start with a weekly show at that point with lots of wonderful guests. It will apply the best elements of the 106 & Park structure and format to the sports world.”

He emphasized that while music remains central to BET, the network is recognizing how sports have become “an integral part of the culture.”

Adding another layer to the network’s evolution, last year Paramount Global reportedly put BET on the market with an asking price between $1.6 and $1.7 billion. According to Variety, this exclusive offer was extended to potential buyers including Mills, who joined BET in 1997 and became CEO in 2021. Past prospective buyers included Tyler Perry, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Byron Allen.