Would you pay £150 for a one-to-one Zoom with Dan Wootton?
The former GB News presenter is the latest provocative pundit to launch their own fan-funded alternative TV channel after claiming that the “mainstream media” is dead.
Wootton, whose departure from GB News was confirmed this week, will present a daily news and opinion show on Outspoken, an online-only channel railing against the “woke mob”, operating beyond the reach of what he called “Ofcommunist censors”.
Speaking for the first time since his GB News exit, he told i he had been inspired by former Fox News commentators, including Tucker Carlson, who he believes have more “freedom… operating independently” online.
“The incredible thing is that hardly anyone watches the news on traditional TV anymore so the opportunity in the alternative space in the UK is massive,” he claimed – though media experts have warned Wootton must keep his costs down to make his venture economically viable.
Although Wootton claims that the the audience for traditional TV news is dwindling, the BBC and ITV’s nightly news bulletins still attract millions of viewers. Rolling news channels are being squeezed though as people discover the latest events via social media, often from partisan pundits putting their own spin on stories.
GB News viewers are being offered direct access to Wootton – who was suspended from the channel last September after fronting the show which hosted Laurence Fox’s misogynistic rant – in return for funding Outspoken.
Founding members, who pay £150, will get “personalised video messages twice a year and a one-on-one Zoom call with Dan” as well as “access to in-person events”.
The cheapest £5-a-month subscription offers group video calls with Wootton and the ability to “join the community and communicate directly with Dan”.
Wootton was criticised in an Ofcom ruling for failing to stop Fox from engaging in a sexist on-air rant during his GB News show, Dan Wootton Tonight.
His submission to Ofcom rejected claims by GB News that he did not respond to production calls to apologise on air for Fox’s remarks.
Wootton’s departure from the airwaves follows Piers Morgan’s move to YouTube, where his Uncensored show lives on after News UK announced that the TalkTV channel will stop linear broadcasting.
Morgan said television schedules had become an “unnecessary straitjacket” and that moving online would allow him to conduct longer interviews and generate more advertising revenue, with the Uncensored YouTube channel attracting 2.4 million subscribers.
It comes after Carlson and Megyn Kelly, former Fox News anchors with huge personal followings, launched their own digital media businesses, stealing viewers from traditional news channels.
Carlson, once Fox News’s most popular host who wields substantial influence over Republican voters, charges $72 a-year (£56) for his subscription streaming service which he boasts is free from corporate influence.
However Carlson’s reputation has been tarnished by his Kremlin interview with Vladimir Putin, which was widely criticised for not challenging the Russian President enough.
The US media landscape is scattered with network refugees such as Kelly, now one of the highest-paid podcasters on the Sirius platform and former CNN star anchor Don Lemon, who said he is building his own digital media outlet.
But Carlson raised $15m (£11.6m) in venture capital funding to launch his network, so Wootton will need to do a lot of video-calls to turn Outspoken into a profitable platform, suggests Paul Staines, who runs the influential Guido Fawkes website.
“Novara Media (left-wing) in the UK, Gript (right-wing news site) in Ireland show that ideologically invested readers and viewers will support outlets they identify with politically,” said Staines, adding that the challenge for Wootton is to “offer something that is not available already on GB News”.
Staines believes Morgan will not rake in enough advertising from YouTube to cover the costs of making Uncensored, which ran with a staff of 17 people at TalkTV.
Morgan said Uncensored had attracted 11 million views in its first two weeks on YouTube.
His channel, a joint venture with News UK, could bring in annual ad revenues in the low millions of pounds if it maintains those numbers.
Without charging viewers for premium access, Uncensored could raise additional revenues through sponsorship deals but brands may be wary of aligning with the controversial host.
Wootton told i: “I am inspired by Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Dan Bongino (a former Secret Service agent-turned-Conservative pundit) in the US who have far more influence and freedom now operating independently than they did while on Fox News.
“A media revolution coming, it’s here. The MSM is dying in front of our eyes – and after the way they covered Covid, Boris and Trump, they deserve it quite frankly.”
Wootton is signing up members via Substack for a paid-for newsletter with the Outspoken video show expected to be available on YouTube and other platforms later this year.
One TV insider said: “There is a big opportunity for figures like Wootton to make money from various revenue streams, including subscription, advertising, sponsorship and YouTube revenue.
“The trick is keeping the overheads low compared to traditional TV, which perhaps Piers hasn’t done. If Wootton can get enough people to sign up then he could make more money than loss-makers like GB News and Talk.”
In February Wootton revealed that two police forces had decided to take no further action against him after investigating criminal allegations.
The Guardian and Mirror newspapers have apologised to Wootton and made payouts for breaching his privacy by reporting on the fact he was under police investigation.
