In a significant claim to podcast credibility, and reclaiming of star affiliations, Fox Corp. has acquired Red Seat Ventures, an audio and video producer with a specialty in podcasting.
The deal is a comeback of sorts for Fox, in that two of Red Seat’s most prominent clients — Megan Kelly and Tucker Carlson, are former Fox TV stars. Oher Red Seat clients include Bill O’Reilly, Dr. Phil, Piers Morgan, and Nancy Grace.
Red Seat’s services include production, distribution, and branding. True Crime and right-leaning politics are specialty categories for the company.
“From the beginning, Red Seat Ventures has had the opportunity to work with some of the most influential creators in the world to grow their new media businesses and develop their personal brands. In aligning with Fox, we will be able to build upon that investment and expand the services we provide to our creators, while continuing to maintain the independence and integrity of their brands, which is truly the best case scenario.” –Chris Balfe, Co-founder, Red Seat
Coverage of this acquisition in The New York Times offers this perspective:
“The deal raises the prospect that Red Seat-affiliated programming, which is distributed on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and other third-party platforms, could also be carried on Fox-owned digital services. Existing Fox personalities could also potentially use Red Seat’s resources to develop their own online brands.” –The New York Times (HERE)