From December 4th onward, FOX Weather will be simulcast on FOX Business Network every Saturday and Sunday from 6 to 8 AM Eastern. Amy Freeze, John Marshall and Craig Herrera will anchor from Manhattan.
The free ad-supported service has never been broadcast to a linear audience before. And moves such as this mark the blurring of lines between new and old media, streaming and cable. If you’d like to watch for free, you can sign up for a trial of Hulu Live TV.
FOX says that they plan for the program to take a deep dive into the intersectionality between business and weather, how climate events impact the economy and the industries dependent on the world’s weather systems.
FAST and AVOD have established themselves as major profit models in the streaming world. Tubi, Pluto TV and others are well poised to land on every consumer’s homepage without the cost and the subsequent churn of subscription services. According to research from Hub, 53% of TV watchers spent time with FAST (free ad-supported television) services in October. That’s up 15% over the last two years. Pluto TV will become a $1 billion business this year accounting for the majority of ViacomCBS’s streaming advertising revenue growth in Q3. It’s available in 26 countries and has 54 million active users each month.
And FOX weather is well-positioned in the space. A report came out today that news Is the highest performing programming on FAST channels.
FOX’s move could be read as a sign of reliance on traditional TV models or it could be that streaming services and the resources that back them are overtaking the quality of their linear competitors.
FOX Weather
FOX Weather is a 24/7 live weather service that offers coverage around the country. It includes forecasts, radar imagery, weather-related news, and live cameras at sites around the United States. The service is free and ad-supported. You can view the livestream at the top of the Watch tab in the FOX Weather mobile app.