Larry King Online TV Show Bankrolled by World's Richest Man
Larry King will return to hosting a daily talk show online later this year. King's new talk show will be bankrolled by Mexican businessman Carlos slim, who incidentally is the richest man in the world.
The announcement of Larry King's new show comes with few details surrounding the broadcast. Viewers expect a break from the traditional host's format, as the audience is now an online viewership. The show will be broadcast by an online network, Ora.TV
Ora.TV, a New York-based online television network, has been largely invested in by Carlos Slim's America Movil telecommunications network. The Mexcian billionaire is looking to expand his media interests in telecommunications to online outlets, and Larry King will help headline the project.
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Ora.TV also has Jon Housman, the former president of digital journalism for Newscorp, as its newly minted CEO. Housman believes that Ora.TV's strategy- not charging viewers to see content, relying totally on advertising for revenue- is a winning one.
"The viewers are really there for digital viewing write large," Housman told Bloomberg Businessweek. "There's a further influx of advertisers who have spent some amount of time on the sidelines and are now looking for opportunities in the space."
Sites like Hulu, YouTube, and others have succeeded with this strategy, offering audiences the chance to see their favorite content free of a schedule. Ora.TV, though, is trying to break into the market by giving users access to content on mobile phones, tablets, computers, and internet-capable TVs.
In addition, their use of Larry King to headline the station gives them access to a multitude of celebrity resources in one man, all while producing exclusive content.
"[King is] a magnet for talent," said Housman. "He's got access to the leading voices around the world, from political leaders to entertainers."
King, 78, certainly does have the experience to bring a wealth of voices to the network- he hosted his own show, "Larry King Live" on CNN for 25 years, stepping down in 2010.
Larry King, whose real name is Lawrence Harvey Zeiger, stayed on after the conclusion of his nightly interview show to host four specials with CNN. His official split from the network was announced Feb. 17 of this year.
