Fox News Channel is getting into the over-the-top game. On Tuesday, the network announced plans for a paid, stand-alone streaming service called Fox Nation that is set to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Access to the streaming service will not require a cable television log-in, and the content will not overlap with the network’s linear programming. The cost of the service will be announced “at a later date,” according to a company release.
“Interaction with all of FNC’s popular opinion hosts and personalities will also be a mainstay of the new platform,” the company said.
John Finley, senior vp development and production for the network, said the service will be targeted at Fox News “superfans.” (Fox Nation was previously the name of an online community launched by the network in 2009.)
The announcement was presaged back in August, when Fox News announced the hiring of conservative media personality Tomi Lahren as a contributor. At the time, Fox News said that Lahren “will have a signature role on an FNC digital product currently in development.” The network remained mum on the digital product until the announcement Tuesday.
On Monday, Lahren tweeted a New York Times story about the launch of Fox Nation and said, “Ya ready?”
A digital media executive well-versed in conservative media predicted that the service would provide something of a testing ground for Fox News personalities. Although she occasionally strays into dicey territory, Lahren is seen as an up-and-coming star, and this individual said that Fox would likely try out other millennial talents on the service.
