The BET Hip-Hop and Soul Train Awards have been placed on indefinite hold.
In an interview with Billboard, BET CEO Scott Mills discussed the 45-year history of the network and the ongoing shifts in the entertainment landscape. He confirmed, “We have suspended the Soul Train and Hip-Hop award shows.”
Mills emphasized that while there are no immediate plans to revive the award shows, the team is actively exploring new possibilities for their future in an evolving media environment. “They aren’t gone,” he noted.
This suspension comes amidst a broader industry challenge, as many networks face declining viewership despite producing top-tier content. Mills added, “It’s less about them being over and more about our team needing to reimagine them for today’s media climate.”
He anticipates a trend where franchises may transition from linear television to other platforms like streaming services.
In contrast to the BET Hip-Hop Awards, the main BET Awards are still set to take place, with a scheduled event in 2026—exact dates have yet to be confirmed. The 2025 BET Awards concluded in early June, featuring big wins for artists like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Doechii.
However, even the BET Awards are not immune to declining viewership; Mills revealed that ratings among the 18-49 demographic fell nearly 50% from 2024. “Viewership has decreased, but the cable landscape is significantly smaller than it was a year ago. That’s simply the reality,” he remarked, attributing some viewer drop-off to a change in the show’s schedule.
The BET Hip-Hop Awards began in 2006 and have been celebrated each year, typically in October. The Soul Train Music Awards, which started in 1987, have been an essential part of the American awards circuit. Signs of trouble for the Soul Train Music Awards surfaced last year when BET unexpectedly skipped the ceremony, and their official social media accounts have been inactive since March of last year, while the event usually takes place in November.
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