Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Bill O’Reilly return home.
Fox News Channel backer Fox Corp. has all three of the aforementioned host shows acquired redsheet ventures. Redsheet Ventures has acquired digital media companies that help manage business concerns of many independent news personalities, including the former. Fox Trio.
The move appears to be aimed at bolstering Tubi, Fox’s free, ad-supported streaming outlet. Red Seat Ventures operates as a standalone unit of the Tubi Medi Group, and Paul Cheesbrough, CEO of the business, has been selected as chairman of Red Seat Ventures. Founding partners Chris Valfe and Kevin Valfe will continue to lead the business. The terms of the transaction were not immediately disclosed.
“From the start, Red Seat Ventures has had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s most influential creators to grow new media businesses and develop personal brands,” Chris Balfe said in a statement. “By working with Fox, we can build on that investment and expand the services we offer to creators while continuing to maintain brand independence and integrity. is truly the best case scenario.”
Valfe worked with another Fox News Asylum, Glenbeck for years, and helped out with his production company, Mercury Radio Arts and Media outlet Theblaze. In recent years, Redsheet Ventures has formed alliances with Eric Boling, Nancy Grace, Dr. Phil, Dana Rosh and Chris Hansen.
The acquisition shows Fox cultivates traditional talent to exploit viewers in non-traditional venues. Podcasts, streaming programs and newsletters have become tools for independent creators who don’t have an old-school delivery system, but can easily nurture fans and communities at once. Many of their ventures are very successful and can maintain much of the revenue they generate.
This is not the first acquisition Fox Corp. has created along these lines. In 2021, Fox purchased Outkick, a conservative sports news site founded by entrepreneurs and online personality Clay Travis.
The company “sees opportunities to promote additional scale in genres such as sports, news and entertainment,” Cheesebloux said in a statement.
Kelly and other people working at Redsheet remain independent of Fox Corporation, she said in a comment posted Monday via social media. Kelly said her program “says I’m 100% owned. I’m happy with Fox & Red Seat, but that has little to do with me.”
Though smaller than his contemporaries like Disney and NBCuniversal, Fox has recently abandoned his assets dedicated to traditional scripted entertainment programming, and aimed at watching live shows, especially sports, game shows and news programming. It thrives with a focus on content that has been done.
