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Fox News eyes a piece of the streaming pie

Fox News hosts
Left to right: "Fox & Friends" co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade shoot pool as Fox Nation's "UN-PC" co-host Britt McHenry and Ainsley Earhardt watch. (Photo: Fox News)

Fox Nation, an on-demand, subscription-based service ($5.99/month) that will include a weekly video from conservative social media stars Diamond & Silk, is set to launch on Tuesday morning.

Why it matters: Fox News is joining a very competitive field in the conservative news-streaming space. But the reality is that this is an experiment for the Murdochs, who have successfully launched streaming services elsewhere around the globe.

Details:

  • Fox News says there'll be 40-50 hours of new programming a week.
  • There won't be a set schedule because everything will be on demand.
  • The switch will flip with "Primetime Highlights" — key moments from last night, with co-hosts Carley Shimkus and Rob Schmitt.
  • Daily programming will end with a quiz show at around 7 p.m.

The bigger picture: Fox News joins other networks in trying to build a direct-to-consumer video product that they can sell without going through pay-TV providers, which keep the data.

  • The consensus among analysts is that most networks don't have the scale to compete directly with streaming giants like Netflix or Amazon.
  • Instead, the streaming efforts create incremental revenue for the networks and help them expand their audiences. At this point, it's marketing. 

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