The South Korean BET channel, available both on traditional television and through streaming, will feature the network’s signature shows as well as local productions, it said.
South Korea puts a concerted effort on promoting pop culture and, while the country is highly homogeneous, it has witnessed a boom in hip-hop — thanks in part to Koreans’ strong ties to rap capital Los Angeles.
Changmo, a South Korean rapper who has entered the country’s top 10 singles chart through collaborations, this year became the first Asian nominated at the BET Awards, competing in the fan-decided International Viewers’ Choice category.
The network will come to South Korea in a partnership with SK Broadband, a unit of conglomerate SK Telecom.
“We believe the BET channel will find a fan base among Korean youth, who are globally recognized as fashion and cultural trendsetters — similar to the BET audience,” Lee Hyung-Hee, CEO of operator SK Broadband, said in a statement.
BET, a unit of international media giant Viacom, already has a presence in Britain, France and sub-Saharan Africa as well as Canada and the Caribbean.
Among the network’s most popular offerings are the BET Hip Hop Awards, which will take place on October 6 in Miami and be broadcast on October 14 in South Korea.