Report: Fox Nation Could Go Linear

Fox News is considering launching a live linear feed of Fox Nation, its year-old subscription OTT platform that features a mix of original and repurposed shows for streaming and some live events, reports Forbes.

“People like live,” said John Finley, EVP of Development for Fox News and head of Fox Nation, on the sidelines of a conference in New York Wednesday. He didn’t elaborate on timing. He said nothing had been decided.

Fox News hasn’t released the number for Fox Nation subscriptions so far but said they’ve surpassed internal projections. Some 80% of viewers who sign up for a free trial end up subscribing and the churn rate, or people dropping out, is low.

The service, which costs $65 a month, has produced 700 hours of original content, often with FNC talent, in its first year, Finley said.

Speaking on a panel with digital news executives from NBC, ABC and CBS at the TV of Tomorrow Conference (TVOT), Finley said Fox Nation deliberately veers away from politics to focus on alternative programming.

Shows include What Made America Great, where host Brian Kilmeade explores pivotal places that shaped the nation; Scandalous, a historical documentary series looking at famous Washington, D.C scandals; and Ainsley’s Bible Study with Ainsley Earhardt. Kilmeade and Earhardt are co-hosts of FNC’s morning show Fox & Friends. Legal commentator Nancy Grace recently signed on for a crime series, former Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington for a cooking show, and former 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan for a four part series No Agenda with Lara Logan on media bias, immigration, socialism and veterans.