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Former top-rated Fox News host Tucker Carlson continues to field offers from rival networks including Newsmax, which has seen its viewership increase dramatically since Fox took him off the air last month.
And now, Newsmax appears to be changing up its programming in order to step up its game against Fox as the rival becomes available in more households.
“The niche conservative news channel is still small compared with Fox News, but its viewership has doubled and in some time slots even tripled since Tucker Carlson was dismissed,” The New York Times reported last week, adding that Newsmax is attempting to position itself as the “true home” for conservatives.
“So far, the strategy is showing some promise,” the Times added.
“Newsmax programming has aggressively pushed a narrative that Mr. Carlson’s dismissal was a capitulation to the left by Fox News and the Murdoch family,” the report continued.
“Fox has been moving to embrace more of an establishment position,” Newsmax’s chief executive, Christopher Ruddy, said last week, the Times reported. “They want to renounce some of the Trumpisms and populist MAGA stuff that Tucker was echoing.”
For his part, Ruddy says he wants to “embrace all sides of the Republican Party.”
Meanwhile, TMZ reported that Ruddy made a stellar offer to Carlson in an attempt to woo him, even going so far as to offer Carlson the power to program the entire network.
“Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … the news channel is doing everything it can to sweeten the deal for Tucker to come on board — including floating the idea of letting him program the whole channel, not just his own show,” the outlet added. “That would be a pretty enticing deal point … in addition to having his own primetime show, Tucker would have a say over what shows lead into and out of his show, which can be key in achieving bigger TV ratings.”
The outlet added that Newsmax hadn’t yet made a formal job offer because Carlson remains under contract with Fox News, but “we’re told the network execs have made it clear to people around him, they would basically give him a big say in rebranding their channel.”
At the same time, Newsmax appears to be attempting to mimic some of Fox News’ success. For example, as Mediaite reports, the network is considering launching a show similar to “The Five,” featuring a panel of co-hosts debating the day’s current political and cultural topics. The Five is one of Fox News’ most successful shows and features other top-rated hosts like Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters.
“The network is launching a five-person panel program next week in the 9 p.m. hour, starring radio host Chris Plante, Newsmax host Jenn Pellegrino, and three others. The show is expected to debut Monday, May 8,” Mediaite reported, adding:
The show sounds suspiciously similar to another program on conservative cable news: The Five, a five-person panel program that has been a smash hit on Fox News since its conception by Roger Ailes in 2011. Since Donald Trump left the White House in 2021, The Five has emerged as one of the most-watched programs in cable news, frequently besting the ratings juggernauts in Fox News prime time.
The Daily Beast filed a similar report, but Newsmax preemptively emailed the outlet to deny the new program was set to air.
“Newsmax is testing a number of shows, as we regularly do, and it would be a mistake to claim we are officially making any program changes at this time,” the outlet said.
Carlson has also been offered a sweet deal from Valuetainment CEO Patrick Bet-David, who heads up a media company that largely consists of online streaming platforms like YouTube.
“Dear Tucker, I’ll get right to the point. We want you to partner with us in what we feel is a noble and necessary effort to define the future of media,” Bet-David wrote in a letter posted online, adding:
Here’s our offer:
- $100M over 5 years.
- An equity stake in Valuetainment
- President of Valuetainment and a board seat to project your strategic vision and voice.
- Your own podcast(s) and other daily/weekly shows.
- Documentaries and movies covering topics you care about.
- What else? We are all ears.
Dear @TuckerCarlson, our offer from @ValuetainmentTV 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/RXDRSDchMi
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) May 2, 2023
