Former Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, and ex-White House adviser, Neil Patel, are reportedly planning to launch a new independent media company. The pair are seeking significant investment, running into the hundreds of millions, to establish the company. The platform is expected to feature extended versions of Carlson’s free videos, previously shared on Elon Musk’s Twitter, and will be supported by subscription revenue.
According to National Review:
People familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal of Carlson’s plans on Friday. The host has already begun posting free videos on Twitter and is reportedly embroiled in a legal dispute with Fox News over breach of contract.
The new media company would build upon the free videos Carlson is already posting on Twitter. It would be driven by subscriptions. According to the unnamed sources, viewers will still be able to access the free videos but would need to subscribe to get access to the videos in their entirety. There are also plans for additional hosts.
Carlson and Patel, who were roommates in college, are looking to raise hundreds of millions to fund the creation of the company. It would have its own website and app and may look to other platforms in addition to Twitter. A spokesman for Carlson told the Journal that he is wary of using Youtube as the main engine of his company due to their greater willingness to censor videos.
The development follows Carlson’s split from Fox News in April, after the network paid $787.5 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged it aired false election-fraud claims about Dominion Voting Systems.
Despite his high-profile departure from Fox, Carlson is optimistic about his new venture and plans to relaunch his show on the new platform.
