How to Watch the 2023 BET Awards Online for Free – The Hollywood Reporter

Culture’s Biggest Night returns to Los Angeles. The 2023 BET Awards take place on Sunday, June 25, at the Microsoft Theater and “celebrates 50 years of hip-hop and honors music artists, actors, athletes and more for their work, achievements and cultural impact.”

The 23rd annual ceremony will honor Busta Rhymes with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the award-winning MC, producer, songwriter and actor will be celebrated with a tribute featuring performances by Bia, Coi Leray, Cutty Ranks, Dexta Daps, M.O.P., Rah Digga, ScarLip, Spice, Supercat, Swizz Beatz and others.

“For five decades, hip-hop has not only influenced American culture but has become a global phenomenon and one of the most influential musical genres of our lifetime,” BET evp of specials, music programming and music strategy Connie Orlando said in an April statement. “From music to fashion, art, and entertainment, we are honored to have always provided a platform for hip-hop to thrive. We look forward to paying tribute to the pioneers and innovators as we amplify the new generation of hip-hop artists like only BET can.”

The BET Awards mainly honors the music industry, but this year, ir includes categories in film and sports. Nominees for best movie are Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Woman King, Till, Creed III, Emancipation, Nope and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Below, read on for more on the nominees, performers and how to watch the awards show with or without cable.

2023 BET Awards: Who Is Nominated?

Drake leads the nominees with seven nods, including for best male hip-hop artist; best male R&B/pop artist; best collaboration for his song, “Wait for U” with Future and Tems; album of the year for his collaborative release, Her Loss, with 21 Savage; and more.

Breakthrough rapper GloRilla — who scored her first Grammy nomination this year — is behind Drake with six nominations. She will compete for best female hip-hop artist, best new artist, album of the year with her EP Anyways, Life’s Great and video of the year for “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B. She’s a double nominee for best collaboration with “Tomorrow 2” and “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd.

21 Savage and Lizzo earned five nominations each, while Beyoncé, SZA, Ice Spice, Chris Brown and Burna Boy each scored four nods.

Albums battling Drake, 21 Savage and GloRilla for album of the year include Beyoncé’s Renaissance, SZA’s SOS, Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Brown’s Breezy and DJ Khaled’s God Did.

Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Zendaya, Keke Palmer, Janelle James, Janelle Monáe and Coco Jones are up for best actress, while best actor nominees include Michael B. Jordan, Donald Glover, Damson Idris, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. and Amin Joseph. 

Alaya High aka That Girl Lay Lay — a previous The Hollywood Reporter cover star — is nominated for the YoungStars award.

See the full list of nominees here.

2023 BET Awards: Who Is Performing?

The 2023 BET Awards “will be a non-stop hip-hop party,” per a release. “From West Coast to East Coast, Trap to Bounce, Afro Beats and Dance Hall, the culture’s finest are set to deliver a full range of hip-hop favorites.”

Nominees Coco Jones, GloRilla and Ice Spice will hit the stage, and other performers will include 69 Boyz, Big Daddy Kane, Chief Keef, DJ Unk, Doechii, E-40, Fast Life Yungstaz & Easton (F.L.Y.), Fat Joe, Ja Rule, Kid ‘N Play, Lil Uzi Vert, MC Lyte, Percy “Master P” Miller, Remy Ma, Soulja Boy, The Sugarhill Gang, Trick Daddy, Trina, Tyga, Uncle Luke, Warren G, Ying Yang Twins and Yo-Yo, with more to be announced, per BET.

How to Watch the BET Awards Online

The BET Awards will air live on Sunday, June 25, at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on the BET channel and will stream at the same time on BET.com, BET+ and Paramount+. Traditional cable subscribers can watch the ceremony by simply heading over to the BET channel or by signing into their TV provider account on BET.com.

Cord cutters can stream the 2023 BET Awards online on BET.com, BET+ or on any live TV streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV Stream ($65 and up per month), FuboTV ($75 and up per month), Hulu with Live TV ($70 and up monthly; includes Disney+ and ESPN+), Philo ($25 and up per month) or YouTube TV ($65 per month).

You can watch the BET Awards for free by signing up for a 24-hour Viewing Pass on BET.com (make sure you sign up within 24 hours of the show’s expected end time) or by signing up for a new subscription to select live TV streaming services that offer free trials. See below for more details on where to stream Culture’s Biggest Night online.

BET+

Launching June 25, BET’s new ad-free Essential plan is $6 per month or $54 annually. You can also watch the awards show on the BET+ ad-free Premium tier, which costs $10 monthly or $95 per year. Both packages include access to over 2,000 hours of original BET+ shows, Tyler Perry films and more, including Gabrielle Union: My Journey to 50, Average Joe, The Jamie Foxx Show and more.

DirecTV

Previously AT&T TV, DirecTV lets you watch more than 65 other channels under its Entertainment package ($65 monthly), including BET, MTV and more. Other plans ($85 to $155 monthly) offer over 90 to 140 channels, and subscribers can connect via DirecTV’s Gemini device (requires an existing internet connection) or satellite dish (Gemini device and HD DVR equipment included, existing internet connection required). For a limited time, new customers get a price guarantee for their first two years and a $200 Visa gift card.

FuboTV

FuboTV starts at $75 per month for access to MTV and more than 120 other news, entertainment and sports channels under the Pro Plan; you can also upgrade to the Elite package ($80 monthly), which includes more than 180 channels and over 130 events in 4K. Both plans let you record TV shows, movies, games and more and watch on unlimited screens.

Hulu with Live TV

Watch BET and more than 75 other major cable news, entertainment and sports channels on demand with a Hulu with Live TV subscription, which comes bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+ and costs $70 for the ad-supported plan or $83 for the ad-free package. The bundle also lets you watch thousands of popular TV shows, movies and original content, and you can add Cinemax, HBO Max, Showtime, Starz and other channels for an extra monthly fee.

Paramount+

In addition to offering BET, Paramount+ subscriptions include access to CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and the Smithsonian Channel. The streamer costs $5 per month for the ad-supported Essential plan or $10 monthly for the ad-free Premium option; save when you sign up for an annual package ($50 or $100 per year, respectively). Subscriptions come with access to thousands of hours of movies and TV series, including Sonic the Hedgehog 2, South Park: The Streaming Wars, the entire Star Trek franchise, Yellowstone prequel show 1883 and more.

Philo

Philo‘s live TV subscription costs $25 per month and includes BET, MTV and more than 50 other classic TV, lifestyle and news channels. Subscribers can stream on up to three devices simultaneously, create up to 10 profiles and save unlimited live or future shows for up to one year. The streamer also offers a seven-day free trial.

YouTube

For $65 per month, YouTube TV‘s streaming subscription includes MTV and more than 85 other news, entertainment and live sports channels. New subscribers can get their first three months for $55 per month; after that, it costs $65 monthly. YouTube TV subscriptions include unlimited digital recording and up to six accounts.