Fox News will launch an over-the-top TV streaming service for ‘superfans'

Cable news ratings leader Fox News Channel is launching its own over-the-top TV service that will give its dedicated audience a 24-hour video stream of conservative opinion and commentary.

Fox News announced Tuesday that its new service will be called Fox Nation and will be offered as a stand-alone channel available for a yet-to-be determined monthly fee. The service will be launched this fall, the network said.

Fox News already can be streamed online through the cable and satellite providers that carry it. Fox Nation will be a separate channel aimed at dedicated viewers of Fox News Channel's right-leaning commentary they get from prime-time hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

While Fox Nation will have its own lineup of programs and personalities, Fox News Channel's signature names will make appearances.

John Finley, senior vice president of development and production for Fox News, said in a statement that the new service is aimed at the channel's “superfans, who represent the most loyal audience in cable if not all of television.”

Many cable networks are looking at over-the-top streaming options to recoup some of the viewers they are losing because of the decline in pay-TV subscriptions. The cord-cutting trend has slowed the growth in subscriber revenue that is critical to the financial health of cable channels.

Fox News, and its cable news competitors CNN and MSNBC, have been largely insulated from the negative impact of cord-cutting as viewer interest in the machinations of the Trump White House has driven their ratings to record highs in recent years.

MSNBC launched a separate streaming channel called Shift in 2014, which was aimed at younger viewers, but quietly shuttered it after about a year. CNN executives have mentioned plans to offer a streaming version of its Great Big Story video website, which features mini-documentaries, but no formal launch has been announced.

CBS News is the only legacy TV news organization that offers a 24-hour live news stream. Called CBSN, the ad-supported free service launched in 2014 is now said to be profitable. ABC News has considered launching a streaming service using its resources.

While no personalities have been announced for Fox Nation, the new service is likely to include Tomi Lahren, who joined Fox News last year. At the time of her hiring, Fox News said Lahren would play a role in a future digital product.

Lahren had joined Fox News from TheBlaze, a TV service offered online and on satellite and cable systems that featured conservative viewpoints. Founded by conservative commentator Glenn Beck, the channel has struggled financially and is looking for a buyer.