Glenn Beck's New Internet Show to Launch with Monthly Subscription Model

Show premieres Sept. 12, available for $5 per month subscriber fee

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/7/2011 11:02:16 AM

Glenn Beck's production company, Mercury Radio Arts, Tuesday formally announced the launch of GBTV, a live-streaming video network that will launch on Sept. 12.

GBTV will feature Beck's new daily two-hour show broadcast live from 5-7 p.m. ET, featuring "Glenn's unique fusion of entertainment and enlightenment," and other original and licensed programming.

The network will charge $4.95 per month for access to Beck's show and $9.95 for a subscription to GBTV Plus, which offers unlimited access to the network's programming. GBTV will employ a hybrid business model, drawing revenue from both subscriptions and advertisers.

"GBTV is the future," said Beck in a statement. "The confines of traditional media no longer apply. GBTV is about getting active in the community, participating in stories, and finding new ways to deliver news, information and entertainment directly to the audience." 

Former Fox News Channel exec Joel Cheatwood will serve as president of programming for GBTV and oversee Beck's show as well as the acquisition of content for the network.

GBTV will launch two other programs, a simulcast of Beck's three-hour radio show and The 4^th Hour starring Pat Gray and Stu Burguire. The company said it will continue to add a variety of scripted and unscripted content produced by Mercury and other companies.

Until the launch of Beck's show on Sept. 12, the network will feature a behind-the-scenes reality show about the making of GBTV.