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The Fox Corporation announced on Monday that it acquired digital media company Red Seat Ventures to reach younger audiences and the growing podcast market.
Notably, Red Seat Ventures’ client list includes former Fox News stars such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
Other clients include:
- Bill O’Reilly
- Bari Weiss
- Dr. Phil
- Jesse Kelly
- Piers Morgan
“I’m so exited to share the news that Fox Corporation has acquired Red Seat Ventures. I’m staying on as CEO, and with the help of FOX, will accelerate our growth in the creator economy. I’m thankful beyond words for the support of our clients and employees,” Red Seat Ventures CEO Chris Balfe said.
I’m so exited to share the news that Fox Corporation has acquired Red Seat Ventures. I’m staying on as CEO, and with the help of FOX, will accelerate our growth in the creator economy. I’m thankful beyond words for the support of our clients and employees. https://t.co/pImkC5ANLu
— Chris Balfe (@cbalfe) February 10, 2025
From The New York Times:
Red Seat and its founding partners, the brothers Chris and Kevin Balfe, will continue to operate independently within Fox’s Tubi Media Group, an arm of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire focused on digital and streaming ventures. A purchase price was not disclosed.
The acquisition moves the Fox Corporation into the heart of the online “creator economy,” where media personalities who once relied on old-school corporate distributors — like, say, the cable networks owned by Fox — have struck out on their own to build podcasts and streaming shows that rack up millions of subscribers on platforms like YouTube and SiriusXM.
Red Seat’s lengthy client list includes Dr. Phil, Nancy Grace, Bill O’Reilly, the former “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen and the “President’s Daily Brief” podcast. Last month, The New York Post, which is also owned by Mr. Murdoch, retained Red Seat to develop a new daily podcast and audio division for the newspaper.
The deal means that Mr. Carlson and Mr. O’Reilly — former Fox News stars who both lost their shows — will once again be tied to the Murdoch universe, albeit at a remove. (The same goes for Ms. Kelly, who rose to fame on Fox News before leaving for NBC in 2017.) Because Red Seat is only a service provider, none of the three will be paid by Fox or report to its executives. In addition, Tubi Media and Fox News are housed in separate divisions of the Fox Corporation.
Megyn Kelly called the headlines suggesting her show isn’t 100% independent “misleading.”
“Look at this misleading BS. No one has acquired my show’s ‘home.’ The 3d party firm that sells my ADS has been acquired. Thats all. The @MegynKellyShow is NOT controlled or owned by anyone other than ME,” Kelly said.
Look at this misleading BS. No one has acquired my show’s “home.” The 3d party firm that sells my ADS has been acquired. Thats all. The @MegynKellyShow is NOT controlled or owned by anyone other than ME. https://t.co/fPmVVCl3Is
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 10, 2025
“We are 100% INDEPENDENT. Fox bought the co that sells our ads, period,” she said in another post.
NO, it doesn’t. ⬇️ We are 100% INDEPENDENT. Fox bought the co that sells our ads, period.
“The deal brings O’Reilly, Kelly and Carlson back in the Murdoch fold, though Red Seat Ventures will operate independently within Fox’s Tubi Media Group…” https://t.co/N4Zpw07VcY
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 10, 2025
“To be clear, Red Seat sells ads for our show. They do not ‘create content’ for us as Variety @bristei
claim. My producers & I do that. Nor does Red Seat have any ownership in our show which is owned 100% by me. Happy for Fox & Red Seat but it has virtually nothing to do with me,” Kelly added.
To be clear, Red Seat sells ads for our show. They do not “create content” for us as Variety @bristei claim. My producers & I do that. Nor does Red Seat have any ownership in our show which is owned 100% by me. Happy for Fox & Red Seat but it has virtually nothing to do with me. https://t.co/u2FKvHjv9A
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 10, 2025
Per Reuters:
Red Seat Ventures – named for the red seat in Boston’s Fenway Park that marked the park’s longest home run – provides a range of services for talent, from billing and payroll to production support. Its client list includes former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss, former HLN host Nancy Grace, true-crime podcaster Chris Hansen, television personality Dr. Phil and former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.
The deal brings O’Reilly, Kelly and Carlson back in the Murdoch fold, though Red Seat Ventures will operate independently within Fox’s Tubi Media Group, which operates a free video streaming service. The former Fox talent will not be employed by Fox.
“We see tremendous opportunities to drive additional scale in genres such as sports, news and entertainment,” Tubi Media Group CEO Paul Cheesbrough said in a statement.
This is not the first such deal for Fox. In 2021, it acquired Outkick, a right-leaning sports and political commentary website and podcast founded by Clay Travis.