VH1 Soul to Relaunch

VH1 Soul will relaunch Feb. 1 in nearly 20 million homes.

The network, which launched in 1997, will celebrate Black History Month with its first-ever lineup of 10 separate themed-music-video program blocks spotlighting the top names and new faces in rhythm-and-blues.

VH1 Soul’s blocks will include:

The Soul Player, which samples the network’s full range of music videos;

Top 10: Best in Soul, a weekly countdown of the top 10 soul and R&B videos, with occasional artist visits;

Soulphrodisiac, featuring “sexy, soulful love songs and ballads”;

Live Soul, featuring live concert performances and music videos;

Speak Your Soul, playing videos that viewers request, including a special "Inspirational" request hour on Sundays featuring current gospel-music videos;

Soul Squared, featuring back-to-back double plays;

SoulSchool, presenting old-school hip-hop and R&B videos from the 1980s and 1990s;

The Soul Story, which chronicles the entire career of a featured artist by airing a timeline of their music videos from oldest to most current;

Sub Soul, featuring underground, alternative, independent artists; and

Island Soul, airing reggae, socca, calypso, ska, dancehall and reggae-ton videos.

“This relaunch reflects VH1 Soul's growth into a true destination,” VH1 Digital Television senior vice president and general manager Eric Sherman said in a prepared statement. “We're building on our community of R&B-music lovers by offering specific events and programming blocks that enhance the network's accessibility and enjoyment.”