Soul Train Awards to return to television with Chicago ceremony

The ceremony will air on Friday, 27 November at 8pm ET on BET and will be simulcast on CBS for the first time. It will also air across BET Her, VH1, MTV2 and Logo.

Presented by Spotify and Toyota, the ceremony will recognise artists and music associated with the Soul Train legacy, with performances and other programme details expected to be announced ahead of the broadcast.

Spotify will serve as the franchise’s exclusive music streaming partner.

“We’re thrilled the Soul Train Awards are coming back. It’s a significant moment for R&B and soul, and for Spotify, it’s important to show up where culture is,” said Joe Hadley, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Content & Partnerships.

“Bringing Spotify and BET together allows us to extend the impact beyond the awards themselves, creating more opportunities for artists and their music to reach fans around the world,” he added.

The return follows BET’s decision in 2025 to suspend the Soul Train Awards and BET Hip Hop Awards indefinitely while the network reviewed its awards programming and considered how its franchises could adapt to changes in television and media consumption.

BET CEO Scott Mills told Billboard at the time that the shows had been suspended on linear television but were not permanently cancelled.

“So for BET linear, we have suspended the Soul Train and Hip-Hop award shows,” Mills said. “But we have a team that’s actively thinking about where those award shows might best live as the media climate continues to evolve. They aren’t gone.”

Mills said the network was considering whether the franchises could move to streaming or other platforms as viewing habits changed.

“It’s less about them being no longer and more about our team having to re-imagine them for this changing media landscape that we find ourselves in,” he said.

The Soul Train Awards, first staged in 1987, are based on the television programme Soul Train, which premiered in 1971. Created by Don Cornelius, the programme ran for 35 years and became a major platform for Black music, dance and popular culture in the United States.

“As a Chicago native, I’m proud to bring the Soul Train Awards back to the city where it all originated,” said Louis Carr, President of BET.

“Coming off a landmark year for BET, this return reaffirms what we do best: bringing our community together around the culture and connecting the artists who built this sound to the ones carrying it forward,” he added.

Kimmy Summers, Spotify’s Lead Artist Partnerships, said the programme’s influence extended beyond music.

“Soul Train has always represented more than music,” Summers said. “It’s been a cultural force, giving artists a platform to shape sound, style, and culture for generations.”

She said Spotify’s involvement would provide opportunities for audiences to discover earlier artists and music while engaging with newer voices in R&B and soul.

The television return comes as BET continues to adjust its programming strategy amid broader changes in the media industry. In 2025, the network also announced plans to rebrand its 106 & Park music programme as 106 & Sports, in partnership with SpringHill Entertainment.

The return of the Soul Train Awards restores one of BET’s established music franchises to its television schedule, alongside the BET Awards, which marked its 25th anniversary in 2025.