When Tucker Carlson said this week that he’s starting a new show on Twitter, he sounded much like he did as the top-rated host on Fox News. He asked rhetorical questions. He criticized the news media. He lamented the loss of free speech.
(Bloomberg) — When Tucker Carlson said this week that he’s starting a new show on Twitter, he sounded much like he did as the top-rated host on Fox News. He asked rhetorical questions. He criticized the news media. He lamented the loss of free speech.
But at the end of the three-minute video, there was a new wrinkle: a plug for Carlson’s website, where he asked fans to sign up for updates with their names, email addresses and phone numbers.
It was a hint of what’s likely ahead. Carlson, who was fired from Fox News last month, has ambitions beyond merely hosting a show on Twitter, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Collecting contact information from fans is a logical first step toward building a direct-to-consumer business.
To observers, Carlson likely chose Twitter because his contract with Fox Corp. prevents him from appearing on another cable news channel. At the same time, he wants to remain relevant as the 2024 election nears, and Twitter provides him with a megaphone.
“He’s competitive and wants to get in the game soon,” said Howard Polskin, president of TheRighting, a newsletter that monitors conservative media. “Sitting on the sidelines is not for him.”
Carlson, 53, wouldn’t be the first former Fox News star to start a media business. Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly have all ventured into podcasts, radio and online TV shows, among other things.
“I don’t think they’ve approached the level of popularity they had when they were on Fox,” Polskin said. “There’s no substitute to having the Fox promotional machine and ecosystem behind your broadcast. That is almost priceless.”
Fox reportedly paid Carlson about $20 million a year. Whether he can make as much on Twitter remains to be seen.
In recent months, Twitter owner Elon Musk has tried to make the social network more lucrative for big personalities. He said Twitter would share advertising revenue with users if they are verified through Twitter Blue. He also said creators can charge subscriptions to tweets, pictures and videos.
Carlson could, for instance, put his Twitter videos behind a paywall, where only subscribers have access. Through a mix of advertising and subscription revenue, he could end up making more than he did at Fox, according to Vox’s Peter Kafka.
In a tweet this week, Musk said he hadn’t signed any deal, an apparent reference to Carlson. Twitter didn’t respond to a request for comment.
On her SiriusXM show this week, Kelly said Carlson’s program will eventually link to his website, where it will be available by subscription.
A spokesman for Carlson declined to comment.
Twitter isn’t conducive to long videos. It’s built for scrolling and consuming short snippets of media, mostly in text form. Asking users to stop scrolling through their feed to watch an hour-long show is a big challenge. What’s more, the median cable news viewer is over age 60 and is less likely to be comfortable on Twitter.
Twitter has made a push into video before. Sports leagues and media outlets started streaming live programs on the platform. They included a popular morning talk show created by BuzzFeed News called “AM to DM.” By 2019, the show was averaging about 400,000 views per episode. But a year later, Twitter pulled the funding and BuzzFeed stopped producing it.
Under Musk, Twitter has been revamping its video ambitions. This week, Musk said video is now a “primary focus,” and in recent months the company has rolled out additional ways for users to monetize their video content.
With Carlson hosting a show, Twitter could generate more engagement and take a cut of the advertising and subscription revenue he pulls in.
But controversy around Carlson could also lead to more trolling on Twitter at a time when Musk has fired many employees who were overseeing content moderation. That could turn off Twitter advertisers who don’t want to be associated with contentious issues.
On her podcast, Kelly called Carlson’s move “smart” because “Twitter is better than ever.”
“Conservatives feel welcome there now in a way they didn’t before Elon,” she said. “And it’s a great way of reaching millions and millions of fans.”
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