Originally launched as a USA Network programming block on January 25, 1980, BET would eventually become a full-fledged channel on July 1, 1983.

In some markets, the network would not arrive at all until as late as the early 2010s and Viacom considered it compulsory in retransmission consent negotiations to carry the BET-branded networks with Viacom Media Networks, due to some providers claiming that there was an overall lack of demand for the channel, or excused their lack of interest in BET due to an alleged low to non-existent Black American population within their service area.

In 1997, BET entered into a joint venture with Starz (then-owned by John Malone's Liberty Media, but later acquired by Lionsgate years later) to launch a multiplex service of the premium channel featuring black American-oriented films called "BET Movies: Starz!

[11] BET announced in March 2010 that Ed Gordon would return to the network to host "a variety of news programs and specials".

[13] In July 2017, Viacom signed new film and television development deals with Academy Award winner Tyler Perry following the expiration of his existing pact with Discovery Inc. in 2019.

As part of this deal, Perry would produce The Oval and Sistas for BET and co-own the network's newly launched streaming service, BET+.

[14] A wide range of people have protested elements of BET's programming and actions, including Public Enemy rapper Chuck D,[15] journalist George Curry,[16] writer Keith Boykin,[17] comic book creator Christopher Priest,[18] filmmaker Spike Lee,[19] Syracuse University professor of finance Dr. Boyce Watkins,[20] former NFL player Burgess Owens,[21] and cartoonist Aaron McGruder (who, in addition to numerous critical references throughout his series The Boondocks, made two particular episodes, "The Hunger Strike" and "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show", criticizing the channel).

Michael Lewellen, BET's senior vice president for corporate communications, defended the decision: "We weighed a number of different options.

[26] Showell hosted the program featuring highlights of the funeral, Coretta Scott King: Celebrating Her Spirit, that broadcast that same day.

[27] In its 2007 convention, the National Association of Black Journalists gave BET its "Thumbs Down Award" for not broadcasting King's funeral live.

In May 2019, a BET-branded channel was launched on Pluto TV (which was acquired by its parent company two months earlier).

[31] In June 2019, the launch of BET+ was announced, a premium streaming service targeting Black Americans.

BET Jams is an American pay television network airing hip-hop and urban contemporary music videos on a thrice-daily automated wheel schedule of eight hours outside of temporary "roadblock" closures during Paramount Global's awards events, with all of its programming currently denoted in hour blocks as BET Jams – Music Videos within electronic program guide listings.

An exclusive, but temporary, HD version of the channel was made to show the 2009 BET Awards on Freesat EPG 142.

In 2022, Paramount began to phase out BET in Canada due to expiring rights, a number of major providers began dropping the channel, beginning with Rogers Communications on April 1, 2022, followed by Hay Communications on September 30, 2022, and Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct on August 31, 2023.

BET France launched across a linear television channel alongside non-linear services including Bouygues Telecom, Canalsat, Numericable/SFR, and Free.