A spokesman for Viacom said that no plans are in the works to launch a news channel, “conservative or otherwise,” after a report that Shari Redstone was quietly exploring such a plan to rival Fox News.
“Viacom has no intention of launching a TV news channel, conservative or otherwise,” a Viacom spokesman said. A spokeswoman for Shari Redstone also denied that a channel was under consideration.
The Hollywood Reporter reported on Tuesday that Redstone may look to rebrand an existing Viacom channel and that she had approached current and former Fox News personalities, including Megyn Kelly.
Redstone’s representative did confirm that she met with President Donald Trump in the past few weeks, but a potential news channel was not discussed. The meeting lasted about an hour.
Viacom and CBS are seeking regulatory approval for a merger, which would recombine the company after the two entities were split in 2006.
Fox News already has conservative rivals, including Newsmax TV and One America News Network, but they are smaller entities. Sinclair Broadcasting, one of the largest station groups in the country, has long been rumored to be eyeing the launch of a rightward news channel, but the company has long denied it.
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