Conservative media company Blaze Media shifted its news website and video content to an ad-free, subscription-only model Tuesday, a choice made in part to “avoid the censorship” it says comes along with Big Tech advertising.
The new version of Blaze’s news website, which will add in content from Blaze Media’s recently acquired publications Align and Return, will cost $5 per month to access, while BlazeTV+ (formerly BlazeTV) will run subscribers $120 per year.
In a Tuesday release, Blaze Media touted itself as the “first in the conservative media space to transition to this unique business model that focuses entirely on subscription revenue,” and shift away from “reliance on external display advertising partnerships.” The move goes against current trends, which have seen a slew of media companies embrace ad-supported models to monetize content over subscription-based platforms.
Per Blaze, offerings on the news site include stories from its newly formed investigation team, lifestyle and technology verticals, a well as content from conservative personalities Glenn Beck (who founded TheBlaze, prior to its 2018 merger with CRTV to become Blaze Media), Jason Whitlock, Mark Levin, Steve Deace and Allie Beth Stuckey.
Blaze Media editor-in-chief Matthew Peterson will continue to oversee the editorial direction of the now-subscriber-only site.
“Our dedicated subscribers understand the need to avoid the censorship that comes from relying on the politicized practices of Big Tech and their advertising networks. We are able to transition to a subscription-only business model because of their continued support,” Peterson said. “Providing them with an expanding universe of premier content is the core of what we do and we’re thrilled to be able to improve their experience by eliminating distracting advertising.”
