Satellite-distributor DirecTV, which weeks ago unveiled plans to drop conservative outlet OAN, still wants to offer viewers right-leaning content.
The company said it had already begun to offer Fox Nation, the subscription-video service that acts as a companion service to Fox News Channel. Fox Nation is being made available as a “premium add-on” for DirecTV subscribers, the company said. As part of a new pact, Fox Weather, a recently launched ad-supported streaming product, will debut on DirecTV Stream, the company’s stand-alone on-demand service, starting March 29.
“We want to empower our customers with more capabilities in how they choose to watch the content they care about most,” said Rob Thun, DirecTV’s chief content officer, in a prepared statement. “We’re pleased to expand our relationship with Fox News and add value for our subscribers by offering Fox Nation and Fox Weather.”
DirecTV in January unveiled plans to drop carriage of the fringe right-wing cable outlet One America News, several months after a Reuters report revealed that AT&T, one of DirecTV’s owners, was responsible for a large part of the media outlet’s overall revenue. OAN is owned by Herring Networks, founded by the entrepreneur Robert Herring Sr. That pact was expected to lapse in April.
Being cut from the DirecTV lineup is likely to have dire consequences for OAN. Approximately 90% of OAN’s revenue in the past has come from a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms, including satellite broadcaster DirecTV, Reuters reported in October.
Fox Nation gains broader distribution with DirecTV as many of the nation’s big TV-news outlets focus more intently on streaming and luring news aficionados who are more prone to seek out news and information from social and streaming media. CNN is expected to launch its new CNN Plus on March 29th and MSNBC has unveiled plans to expand its offerings via NBCUniversal’s Peacock that will offer more opinion programming for a premium-tier subscription.
Fox Nation offers a mix of conservative-themed programming and entertainment and true-crime programming aimed at appealing to Fox News viewers. The service was made available to DirecTV subscribers on Sunday for $5.99 per month, and at launch. Customers are being offered a short-term promotion that will let them get a 60-day free trial.
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