Fox Corp. on Monday acquired Red Seat Ventures, the digital media company behind the shows of several ex-Fox News personalities, including Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly. Red Seat Ventures, which specializes in video podcasts, is also home to Tucker Carlson, who was notoriously jettisoned from Fox News two years ago despite his ratings dominance.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The company, founded in 2015 by brothers Chris and Kevin Balfe, will operate as a standalone entity under Fox’s Tubi Media Group. The Balfe brothers will continue to run Red Set Ventures, and Tubi CEO Paul Cheesbrough will become the company’s chairman.
Beyond producing several popular podcasts, Red Seat Ventures also offers clients distribution and branding services; it also runs live events like CrimeCon, which in 2024 had a number of big media names at its Nashville convention, including Chris Hansen and Nancy Grace, who are both creators signed to the Manhattan-based company.
Red Seat Ventures, in Monday’s announcement of the deal, said its 17 shows drove 200 million monthly active views in November 2024. In October, leading up to the 2024 presidential election, TheWrap looked at how Kelly’s show was earning tens of millions of views on YouTube — including hitting 100 million views in September.
“From the beginning, Red Seat Ventures has had the opportunity to work with some of the most influential creators in the world to grow their new media businesses and develop their personal brands,”Red Seat Ventures CEO Chris Balfe, CEO said in a statement. “In aligning with FOX, we will be able to build upon that investment and expand the services we provide to our creators, while continuing to maintain the independence and integrity of their brands, which is truly the best case scenario.”
Monday’s deal brings Carlson and Kelly back into Rupert Murdoch’s orbit, as well as Piers Morgan, a Red Seat Ventures client who just last month ditched Murdoch to take ownership of his thriving YouTube show.
Cheesbrough, in a statement on Monday, said he sees “tremendous opportunities” for Red Seat Ventures to jump into other genres beyond its strength in right-leaning political shows, including sports and entertainment.
“The creator economy is one of the fastest growing media categories worldwide by measure of reach and influence, and consumers are increasingly looking to get their information, insights and entertainment directly from the voices and brands they trust across these platforms,” Cheesbrough said.
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