Soul Train and Hip-Hop Awards shelved temporarily as BET eyes new platforms

WASHINGTON — Two major shows under the BET Awards umbrella, the Soul Train Awards and Hip-Hop Awards, are being put on pause as the network reassesses its programming strategy.

In a new interview with Billboard, BET president Scott Mills confirmed the shows have been suspended from the network’s linear lineup but emphasized they are not permanently canceled. 

“I would say that 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,” Mills said. “They aren’t gone.”

According to Mills, the awards show could eventually reemerge in a different format or on a new platform. The network is exploring whether streaming or alternative platforms could be a better fit for the shows, which have long been staples of Black entertainment programming.

The move comes on the heels of declining viewership for the 2025 BET Awards, which saw a nearly 50% drop in the key 18-49 demographic compared to the previous year.  Mills attributed the dip more to scheduling changes than waning interest, noting that the show aired on a Monday in early June rather than its traditional Sunday night slot at the end of the month.

Mills praised the creative team behind this year’s 25th anniversary BET Awards, calling it an “extraordinary show.” Looking ahead, he said the show will return to its usual late-June Sunday slot in 2026,  rather than a Monday, along with the revival of the BET Experience festival, which had been previously paused.

Mills highlighted upcoming awards programming on BET, adding “we also still have the NAACP Image Awards and the Stellar Awards.”