What Could a Post-Election ‘Trump TV’ Look Like?

The final presidential debate erased all doubt that Team Trump has ambitions to launch a branded media venture after the election.

Donald Trump’s campaign turned to Facebook Live to deliver news-style coverage of the Oct. 19 debate, as well as post-debate commentary and analysis declaring a resounding victory. Via social media posts, Trump himself encouraged supporters to watch the Facebook Live coverage in order to avoid what he has described as bias in the “mainstream media.” The drumbeat of accusations that the media are attempting to rig the election in favor of Hillary Clinton is seen in industry circles as advance promotional work for the launch of what has been dubbed “Trump TV.”

The Facebook Live debate broadcast, anchored primarily by Trump campaign advisors Boris Epshteyn and Cliff Sims, had a public-access feel at times, with audio glitches and less-than-polished transitions between guests and commentators. The turnout for the live broadcast was modest, in the hundreds of thousands at its peak. But by early the next morning, the roughly two-hour video had racked up more than 8.4 million views.

Those numbers are sure to fuel desire to put the Trump stamp on a TV or digital service that could leverage the base of supporters he has built up during nearly 18 months on the campaign trail. The Facebook Live stream was enabled by a grassroots YouTube effort dubbed Right Side Broadcasting, a channel launched last year by Trump supporter Joe Seales to offer live streaming of campaign events.

This week, the Trump team has launched a nightly Facebook Live program set to air at 6:30 p.m. ET through Election Day. Epshteyn has downplayed its significance as a harbinger of Trump TV. “This is us delivering our message to voters,” he said, according to Wired. Trump on Oct. 25 told a Cincinnati radio station that he has “no interest” in a post-election Trump TV venture.

Industry observers say a Trump-affiliated media effort would likely focus on a digital service. A linear TV channel launch would be hard for any entity to pull off right now, given the upheaval among MVPDs and the growing focus on slimming (not expanding) channel packages.

On top of that, Trump’s polarizing positions on political and social issues make him toxic to most mainstream distributors and advertisers. A subscription streaming service, possibly with some advertising component, is the more likely route.

Sources say the venture might not be formally owned by Trump. The track record of conservative media personality Glenn Beck suggests that a successful Trump TV venture could gross $40 million to $50 million per year at the outset — small change compared with the real estate that is the core of Trump’s empire. But his association with a network would have benefits for both sides — investors could tap his ardent base, and Trump would have a go-to outlet for spreading his message.

“Trump has populist appeal right now,” says Lynne Costantini, a media consultant who previously headed sales for Beck’s TheBlaze.com. “He’s built up a strong base of passionate people who are anti-establishment. Those people aren’t getting what they want from mainstream media.”

The biggest challenge for a Trump TV effort would be figuring out the programming mix once the presidential race cools off. Among the first decisions would be whether it would attempt to cover breaking news or focus on opinion and commentary. Either way, a subscription venture would need a roster of personalities beyond Trump to keep viewers engaged, and even commentary programs would need to be produced on a near-daily basis to react to headlines in a timely manner. All of that will take significant resources.

The opportunities are clear. Trump’s rise as a political force has dovetailed with major changes at Fox News Channel, which for 20 years has been the primary TV outlet for conservative political commentary through its primetime lineup. The abrupt departure in July of chairman/CEO Roger Ailes, a former Republican party strategist, promises seismic shifts in the culture and on-air tenor of Fox News. Already, under the temporary leadership of Rupert Murdoch, the network has vowed to invest more in newsgathering resources, a move observers have speculated could lead to a lightening of its reliance on primetime commentary programs.

“Fox News right now is leaning to the left of a lot of their audience,” says one media veteran who is keenly watching the Trump TV developments. “There is an opportunity.”

Steve Bannon, the CEO of Trump’s campaign, was cornered last week by CNN in Las Vegas, which asked him about the rumors that Trump would start a network. “Trump is an entrepreneur,” he said, without elaborating.