Carlos Slim Brings Back Larry King With New Online On-Demand Network Ora.TV

With an estimated net worth of $69 billion from interests including finance, media and telecommunications, Mexican mogul Carlos Slim Helú is believed to be the world’s richest man. He’s now expanding his media reach with Ora.TV, an Internet-based on-demand network to be led by former News Corp executive Jon Housman. Slim’s Latin American wireless provider America Movil is backing the venture, although financials have not been disclosed. In a return to broadcast, Larry King is also partnering with Slim as a co-founder of the network where he will interview leaders from the worlds of politics and entertainment in a somewhat similar format to his old CNN show. The network will be ad-supported with streaming available in the U.S., Latin America and elsewhere later this year, according to The New York Times. Bloomberg recently reported that Slim was eyeing a Netflix-like online service in Mexico for movies and TV shows, but Ora appears to be a different beast given its focus on original programming. It also remains unclear if Ora will be available in Mexico where America Movil faces a government ban from delivering traditional TV over its network. Below is the full press release: (more…)