A 21st Century OTT Move: Fox Nation Nears Launch

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If 21st Century Fox was looking to make a statement regarding its abilities to be a forward-thinking media company built for early 21st century media consumption shifts, its mission was accomplished on Tuesday (2/20).


FOX News Channel is preparing for the Q4 2018 launch of a new over-the-top (OTT) “opinion platform” that is designed to “enhance” the FOX News viewer experience — without draining viewers from the most-watched news and political opinion cable channel in the U.S.

The OTT platform will bear the name Fox Nation. That news came from John Finley, SVP of Development and Production for the network. It will be a standalone streaming service, with a subscription fee to be announced at a later date. No MVPD subscription is required.

What will Fox Nation offer that’s unique and worthy of forking over what’s expected to be $5 a month?

“Fox Nation will take a deep dive into the big issues of the day with live exclusive daily streaming content and long-form programming available only to subscribers,” the company announced early Tuesday. “Fox Nation will also include access to exclusive events and 20-plus years of archival programming not available anywhere else. Interaction with all of FNC’s popular opinion hosts and personalities will also be a mainstay of the new platform.”

Finley commented, “With our traditional cable viewership at an all-time high, we are proud to announce a new digital offering geared entirely toward the FOX News superfans, who represent the most loyal audience in cable, if not all of television. This initiative will capitalize on providing that viewer, who is among the most affluent and well educated in cable, with a highly specialized content experience on a platform they can watch anytime, anywhere.”

Hiring for Fox Nation will begin in Q2, Finley added.

Investor sentiment on the news was muted in mid-afternoon trading on Wall Street, with Fox’s Class A shares down 10 cents to $37.35 at 2:06pm Eastern.