After Glenn Beck leaves his Fox News show, he plans to create a subscription service for fans to watch his new two-hour Internet-only program, according to a New York Times report. News of this money-making ploy comes as Beck is in the process of urging his listeners to fork over $5,000 to attend his “Restoring Courage” rally in Jerusalem. The Times also notes that the show “will be scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern time, the same time as Mr. Beck's current show on Fox, putting him in direct competition with whoever replaces him at the cable news channel.” From The New York Times:
Glenn Beck is planning to charge his fans a monthly subscription for his daily talk show online starting this summer, as he makes the move from being a Fox News host to the owner of his own Internet network.
On Tuesday, Mr. Beck will announce a first-of-its-kind effort to take a popular -- but also fiercely polarizing -- television show and turn it into its own subscription enterprise. It is an adaptation of the business models of both HBO and Netflix for one man's personal brand -- and a huge risk, as he and his staff members acknowledged in interviews in recent days.
“I think we might be a little early,” Mr. Beck said of his plan for the Internet network, called GBTV, which will cost $5 to $10. “But I'd rather be ahead of the pack than part of it.”