After two decades, BET is getting back in the HBCU sports game. According to a report by HBCU Gameday, Howard University’s updated 2026-27 men’s basketball schedule lists six games slated for BET broadcasts, all of them at Burr Gymnasium.
ive of the six are against HBCUs: Grambling State on December 3 at 8 p.m., North Carolina A&T on December 17, Morehouse on January 18 as part of Howard’s MLK Day Classic, Morgan State on February 27 and Norfolk State on March 4. The sixth is a December 10 home game against Loyola Chicago.
HBCU Gameday reports that a source tied the broadcasts to the HBCU basketball deal ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said in August he was about to sign, with Kevin Frazier reportedly involved, though HBCU Gameday has not confirmed either man’s role or any formal agreement with BET.
BET President Louis Carr hinted at this direction in April, telling Forbes that sports is a key investment area as BET reworks its programming and leans more into live content.
“I think that we have probably a better chance than most brands that are serving our community… because we've continued to sort of be profitable. And I think when we look at what is our new operating model, one of the first things I'm trying to do is to get more swings at bat to get more content on the air. And whether that is looking at sports, we're looking at comedy, bringing comedy back, so we're trying a lot of different things to sort of figure out what works in today's marketplace.”
Article Continues BelowIn his response to the NABJ granting him the Thumbs Down Award, Smith announced a forthcoming deal to broadcast HBCU games.
“I’m about to ink a deal where we’re broadcasting HBCU basketball games,” Smith said. “I’m going to need some Black folks working for me as talent, as producers, and beyond. That’s what I’m doing!”