Did Tyler Perry buy BET?

A new report has surfaced that actor Tyler Perry is poised to take over the cable channel BET. But is this a substantiated fact? Let’s look at everything we know so far.

Multiple outlets have reported that Perry is attempting to acquire both BET and VH1 at a time when those channels’ parent company, Paramount, has been losing money. However, the details of this deal and its factual basis have yet to be fully confirmed. 

You see, while there are many online outlets reporting on this news, almost all of them cite the same source article. The source article in question is by the website The Streamr. However, the original article on The Streamr website is now defunct. When you go to the link, a “404 page not found” error pops up. This could have been the result of the post being deleted, for whatever reason, but we just don’t know the full story quite yet.

We found three different articles other than The Streamr coming out with stories about the supposed Perry-BET deal. However, all three of those alternatives cite The Streamr as its main source. None of the articles offered corroborating evidence for the claim. So for now, we have to file this one under “unconfirmed.” However, when and if we get more information on this, we will be sure to let you know. 

Keep in mind, there is reason to believe the rumor could pan out to be true in the long term. As ComingSoon.net pointed out, Perry was quoted earlier this year by Entertainment Online as saying he was “very interested” in acquiring BET, should it be possible. In addition, Atlanta Daily World pointed out that “Perry has worked with the BET since 2017,” including churning out a bunch of original shows for the streaming service BET Plus.