Fox Nation Hits 2 Million Subscribers as Lifestyle Programming Continues to Expand
The streamer has specifically avoided adding too much news content, contrasting it with streamers like Max and Peacock.
Fox Nation may not be ready to join the ranks of the streaming titans just yet, but it’s built a loyal and dedicated subscriber base. A report from The Wall Street Journal indicates that Fox Nation now has 2 million subscribers, and outlines what the streamer’s plans for future growth entail in the wake of a recent leadership change.
- Fox Nation is focused on lifestyle programming that viewers of its news channel won’t find on the linear network.
- Executives say Fox Nation is capable of housing Fox News live stream if it becomes necessary, but there are currently no plans to make that move.
- The streamer will offer a new series on the state of Texas hosted by Matthew McConaughey in April.
Fox Nation’s 2 million viewers fall into similar demographics as other streaming subscribers: they’re younger than linear viewers. Fox News’s average viewer is 69 years of age, whereas the average Fox Nation customer is 50, according to Nielsen statistics cited by The Wall Street Journal. Despite its connection to the popular cable news channel, Fox Nation has purposely been kept as a niche streaming service, aiming to provide content for a smaller, but dedicated audience. It is currently the only subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) from the company. However, Fox does have a hit streaming service in its free ad-supported platform Tubi. At last count, Tubi had 74 million monthly active users. These two disparate services allow Fox to keep their programming libraries separate as it grows the base for Fox Nation.
The streamer sets itself apart by offering a wide variety of lifestyle programming that viewers won’t see on Fox News. That was always a big part of the mission at Fox Nation, but after executive shakeups at the company in December, some questioned if the streamer would take on a more news-focused approach. Those concerns were soon quashed, as the company confirmed to The Streamable that lifestyle shows would continue to be an important part of its strategy.
“We started to see that the people who were coming to the service were looking for something that Fox News Channel wasn’t giving them,” said Jason Klarman, former president of Fox Nation and current chief digital and marketing officer for Fox News.
There’s more such programming on the way at the service, as well. Texas native Matthew McConaughey is the latest celebrity to debut a series on the streamer, as his show “Deep in the Heart” which centers on Texas wildlife will debut on Fox Nation this April.
Will Fox News Ever Make its Way to Fox Nation?
Fox Nation does offer some news content like “Hannity,” but it has consciously avoided the tactics used by competitors like Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal. For example, WBD has put a wide range of live and on-demand titles from CNN on its streaming service Max in the “CNN Max” hub, and Peacock offers titles like “Morning Joe” and others from MSNBC on-demand.
The streamer seems to be getting the results it wants from its strategy to mostly eschew news programming. The company still sees the cable business as strong enough to be the sole home of Fox News, despite the fact that streaming revenues are set to overtake pay-TV for the first time in 2024.
“If there is a direct-to-consumer future for the linear channel, Fox Nation is a great place for it to ultimately be,” Klarman told the WSJ. “But again, there’s no plans for any of that.”
That means viewers of Fox Nation can expect the platform to keep the same makeup as it currently offers. That doesn’t mean news topics won’t be covered, especially in an election year, but audiences will see Fox News personalities like Pete Hegseth and Jeanine Pirro continue to put a lifestyle spin on the topics that they’re most interested in seeing discussed on Fox Nation.
Fox Nation
Fox Nation is an entertainment streaming service created by Fox News and gives subscribers access to full, commercial-free episodes from well-known right-wing personalities like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, as well entertainment from Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, Sharon Osbourne, Roseanne Barr, and Rob Schneider. Fox Nation service can be accessed as a standalone streamer or as an add-on to the live TV streaming services DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo. Start streaming today with a 60-day free trial.