BET is reviving its "Soul Train Awards" after a three-year hiatus, with the ceremony returning on Friday, 27 November and airing simultaneously on BET and CBS. This marks the first time CBS has broadcast the special, significantly widening its potential audience, while the show will also be simulcast on VH1, MTV2, Logo and BET Her. The relaunch follows the suspension of the awards, alongside the BET Hip-Hop Awards, which former BET chief executive Scott Mills said in 2025 had been "reimagined" rather than cancelled outright to suit a changing media landscape.

The ceremony will be pre-taped in Chicago, the city where Don Cornelius launched the original "Soul Train" series in 1971, and will again be produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. BET executive Connie Orlando said the show would return with a "bold new format" celebrating both artists who shaped R&B and soul and those carrying the genre forward, though performers, honourees and a host have yet to be announced. Spotify has signed on as exclusive music streaming partner and Toyota as a key sponsor, with BET president Louis Carr, a Chicago native, calling the return a way of reconnecting the city and community with the show's roots.