As repulsive as such rhetoric may be to liberals, it is part of a formula that has rarely failed Fox News, which remains the profit engine of Mr. Murdoch’s Fox Corporation.
The network’s ratings fell after Election Day, and it has lost badly to CNN in the ratings since the riot at the Capitol. But in 2020 as a whole, Fox News was the third-most-watched network in the country in prime-time on weekdays. That was not just cable news; it was all of television. Only CBS and NBC ranked higher.
Fox News’s biggest stars, meanwhile, are staying put. Ms. Ingraham revealed a new multiyear contract in December, and Mr. Carlson and Mr. Hannity are also on long-term deals, according to a person with knowledge of the network’s inner workings. For all of the hype over Newsmax, its ratings have fallen back from postelection highs.
And if Mr. Murdoch ever feels the need to distance himself more formally from Mr. Trump, he has other platforms on which to do so. In November, another Murdoch organ, The New York Post, proclaimed Mr. Biden’s victory in a cheery front page. After this week’s Capitol riots, the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal made a case for Mr. Trump to resign.
Mr. Murdoch and his son Lachlan, who is the executive chairman of the Fox Corporation, had no comment, a representative said.
Trump TV, which could have posed a significant challenge for Fox News in 2021, now appears less of a threat. Industry experts say the reputational damage that Mr. Trump sustained in the wake of the riots — and his abandonment by allies and donors — has severely hurt his ability to get a viable Fox News competitor off the ground.
“This has not been a positive note,” said Christopher Ruddy, a confidant of Mr. Trump and the chief executive of Newsmax.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/business/media/fox-news-trump-tv.html
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