Glenn Beck’s new internet show hasn’t even aired yet, but he already has more subscribers than the Oprah Winfrey Network has viewers. Beck, who will air his first show tonight at 5 p.m., already has more than 230,000 subscribers. OWN, on the other hand, was averaging just 156,000 viewers per month in June.
Beck’s 230,000 subscribers is far less than the 2 million people who tuned into his show at Fox, but that doesn’t mean that Beck is taking a pay cut. Subscribers to GBTV will pay about $5 per month, which according to Business Insider , will create about $20 million in revenue during the first year. (Beck made about $3 million per year at Fox.)
So what makes the GBTV so valuable? According to Beck, his network is not for “slugs.” Beck told the Wall Street Journal :
“GBTV is not for slugs. It’s news for people who want to get involved and play a role in saving our country.”
Basic subscribers will get to watch Beck’s two-hour daily show on GBTV, but that’s about it. Premium subscribers get to watch a video broadcast of Beck’s radio show, exclusive documentaries, and two other shows called Mercury Theater and the Liberty Treehouse.
Beck will have complete creative control over his new show so it will be interesting to hear what he has to say when he isn’t being censored. Of course, it didn’t seem like there were too many constraints on Beck when he was on Fox.
So, are you a slug? Will you be tuning in to watch Glenn Beck tonight? Does it make sense that GBTV has more subscribers than the Oprah Winfrey Network has viewers?
