Tucker Carlson and Public Square, a shopping app with conservative beliefs, have agreed to a seven-figure ad deal for the former Fox host’s new Twitter show. This marks the first major ad venture arrangement for the new show.
After parting ties with Fox in April, Carlson established a show on Twitter that has already attracted millions of people. Carlson left Fox unexpectedly after the network reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in a landmark defamation claim.
Tucker Carlson will begin broadcasting PublicSq advertising on his Twitter show next month, once the online marketplace goes public, according to the deal.
Carlson has become even more conservative on Twitter than he was on his Fox primetime show. Carlson’s show recently garnered criticism after he invited social media celebrity Andrew Tate, who has been accused of human trafficking and rape by Romanian investigators. Tate and his brother both deny any wrongdoing.
Tucker Carlson’s contract with his previous network, Fox News
According to Axios, Fox News sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter while he was boosting up his presence on Twitter following his departure from the firm. Based on the outlet, Carlson is still under contract with Fox, and his contract keeps his work exclusive to the firm until December 31, 2024. Carlson’s staff issued a statement in response to the letter, saying, “Tucker will not be silenced by anyone.”
It’s unclear how much money he makes from his once-weekly shows, but his most recent episode has been watched more than 92.2 million times.
If he is supported by commercials purchased at a rate of $4 per 1,000 views, Carlson earned $368,800 for that single broadcast.
Carlson would earn $19.1 million this year if he maintained his current rate.
Carlson would still make $95.8 million if Twitter took the regular 20% ad commission.
As it prepares to go public later this month, PublicSq provided an excellent opportunity to earn part of that money. It positions itself as a patriotic, America-first competitor to Amazon.
Carlson’s show appears to mesh well with Public Square’s conservative leanings. Conservative heavyweights such as Donald Trump Jr. and former Senate candidate Blake Masters have sponsored the company.
The new media company intends to challenge ESG
Public Square CEO Michael Seifert has stated how the company intends to assist in combating ESG, which has become a target for Republican politicians at both the state and federal levels, right-wing leaders, and media figures.
“So there’s really this cool parallel economy ecosystem that’s been created. And it all starts with consumer spending. We hate ESG, we hate DEI [Diversity Equity and Inclusion], we talk about these policies all the time in the news,” he told Breitbart News. “But the only way that we are going to topple those corrupt philosophies that are destroying our economy is by shifting consumer spending. And so we’re offering the easiest directory out there to go and do that as your starting point.”
The new media company will primarily focus on video, both through an owned and run website and app, as well as through free video delivered on Twitter and maybe other platforms.
It would be subscription-based and would eventually include shows from additional hosts.
Carlson has also been pitching possible investors on the idea of putting some of the films behind a paywall on his own website.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Carlson is aiming to raise “hundreds of millions of dollars” to fund the new media company. The news piqued the curiosity of both investment firms and wealthy individuals.