Why ‘Trump TV’ probably won’t be US president’s post-White House plan
- Speculation about Trump’s future as a media entity has re-emerged after his election loss to Joe Biden
- Challenging pay TV landscape means outgoing president may have better luck as a host or contributor than starting a new channel with his brand
Four years ago when polls pointed to a win for Hillary Clinton, the next move expected for then-candidate Donald Trump was a television channel bearing his name.
His surprise victory changed all that. But with President Trump exiting the White House in January 2021 after losing his re-election bid last week to former vice-president Joe Biden, speculation about his future as a media entity has re-emerged.
Trump’s potency as a television attraction has been proved by the ratings performance of cable news networks, which have covered his presidency as a saga unfolding in real time with volatility, surprises and a large cast of characters. Audience levels for CNN, Fox News and MSNBC have risen since Trump officially entered his first presidential race in 2015 and reached record levels this year.
But launching a cable network with Trump’s name – an idea floated four years ago – would be a difficult climb in the television landscape, where consumers have shifted away from pay TV subscriptions. As the universe of traditional pay TV customers slowly but steadily diminishes, getting operators to pay a licence fee to carry a new channel would be a major challenge.
03:02
Trump makes first formal public appearance in days with Veterans Day ceremony
“There’s no way you can start a new network in this environment,” said Derek Baine, an analyst for Kagan, a media research group for S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Cable and satellite subscriptions have declined from 97.5 million in 2016 to 79.2 million at the end of the third quarter of this year, according to Kagan’s data.