Investors and experts said Tucker Carlson’s surprise departure from Fox News might hurt short-term ratings but encourage mainstream sponsors to reconsider a network they have shunned for being too political.
On Monday, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp (FOXA.O) lost roughly $1 billion in market value after his resignation. Tuesday’s stock fell.
“It’s a huge deal,” said Tuttle Capital Management’s Matthew Tuttle.
“They will lose viewers at 8pm. Problem is finding another Carlson. They must conjure a rabbit.”
Fox News, the most-watched U.S. cable news network,’s conservative Carlson’s prime-time show was the highest-rated in the 25-to-54 age bracket. Nielsen reported 3.4 million nightly views in March.
Fox News will present an interim show with rotating network personalities until a new host is found.
A business spokeswoman stated Fox News had been number one for 22 years and that Monday’s broadcast was not just top across the board but climbed from Carlson’s last show, citing Nielsen statistics showing 2.6 million viewers.
KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Brandon Nispel said Fox News is in “rebuilding mode,” The stock may take longer to recover as viewership drops. However, he said the market valuation reduction “seems fairly high.”
What will Fox tell advertisers? Advertisers targeting conservative news readers may have had few other alternatives without skewing too conservative.
However, Carlson’s departure may attract mainstream sponsors.
The long game is undoubtedly advertising. “The highly-partisan cable news shows – on both sides – have weak advertising and questionable ad mix,” said Douglas Arthur of Huber Research Partners, noting that direct-response advertising dominates.
Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch criticized direct response advertising in the latest earnings call as mushy.
“A shift away from fanatical conspiracy content, less ‘My Pillow’ stuff, might begin to re-attract big-time advertisers,” Arthur added.
Madison & Wall media analyst Brian Wieser also suggested Fox News may suddenly be more appealing to advertisers on the fence.
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