Soul was originally a commercial-free service, along with sister channel VH1 Smooth, and part of the "MTV Digital Suite" of digital cable channels (which was sold only to cable providers to give them an advantage over satellite services).

The first video shown on the channel was "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire.

[2] The move would be part of a series of programming and management shifts within then-parent company Viacom in the coming years.

[3] In 2019, the legacy assets of Viacom and CBS Corporation would be reunited in a merger between the two companies that led to the formation of ViacomCBS, later to be rebranded as Paramount Global.

The move reunited two networks, while also splitting them from MTV and its other formerly-branded sibling channels (VH1 Classic and VH1 Country).