The Wall Street Journal profiles Glenn Beck’s web-TV service GBTV, as well as his larger media company Mercury Radio Arts. There are a number of takeaways, including that the channel will eventually go 24/7, but the most interesting thing is the numbers, which are surprisingly robust for a still-fresh web venture that isn’t even a year old.
GBTV, which jumped on the scene in September, is expected to bring in at least $40 million in revenue this year, supported by advertising and more than 300,000 subscribers paying as much as $9.95 a month for full access to GBTV, according to a person close to the company. While it is significantly smaller than his audience at Fox News, it’s still more than an established network like CNBC, which drew an average of 189,000 viewers over the course of the total day in February, according to Nielsen.
Overall Beck’s company is expected to generate $80 million in revenue this year. On another note, former CNN and Fox News anchor Kiran Chetry will be serving as a guest news anchor on GBTV this Friday, according to a post on her Facebook page.