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NEW YORK (AP) – Fox News Media enters another challenging world – the weather.
The company is launching Fox Weather, a free streaming service and app that customers expect to use most often on their mobile devices.
In preparation for the start of Monday, Fox is recruiting staff from The Weather Channel and markets in New York, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Charlotte, North Carolina and elsewhere.
Advances in weather technology and the interest generated by climate change and stronger storms have made weather news a popular area to invest in, experts say.
He said “that’s all we talk about” Sharri Berg, head of Fox Weather. “We can also create a platform for that.”
Fox Weather is entering a market long dominated by gamers like The Weather Channel. AccuWeather – both busy developing their own new products – and aggressive niche players.
When Berg scrolls through weather apps, he said he it serves many specialized services that focus on things like surf conditions or wind. In addition to simplicity and clarity, Berg He said that one of Fox’s major selling points will offer people a single destination to get many things—local weather forecasts (with 3D radar), severe weather warnings, weather-related news, and a video stream that works like a traditional TV network. . .
“It doesn’t just reinvent the way you tell the weather story, it just enhances it,” said Steve Baron, senior vice president of digital products and strategy at Fox Weather.
Byron Allen, owner of The Weather Channel, looked almost stunned by the prospect of another rival.
“I’m just a kid from Detroit, pinching myself to compete with one of the biggest media moguls of all time, Rupert Murdoch,” Allen said. “It’s an honor for me.
“I would have been disappointed if it hadn’t been in the airport because it’s a great space and it’s an important space,” he said. “We absolutely do not care about competition”
Next year, The Weather Channel is promoting its subscription-based streaming services so people leaving cable can access their programming. It will also launch a Spanish-language streaming service.
Allen pointed to consumer surveys that highly rated The Weather Channel as a source of information. They know that we are reliable and reliable.” “You don’t get it overnight. It’s earned.”
Similarly, Jonathan Porter, senior vice president and meteorologist, AccuWeatherpointed to the company’s precise forecasting services that have provided consumers and businesses, and even many Fox-owned television stations, over many years.
“Fox will have to show that they can make up for not having all these capabilities when they hit the market,” Porter said.
Some of the Fox News Media products – such as the Fox Business Network and the Fox Nation streaming service – are ideologically comfortable for mainstream Fox News Channel viewers. This raises the question of whether the same would apply to Fox Weather. Executives at both The Weather Channel and The Weather Channel AccuWeather Emphasizing that their service pays attention to the impact of climate change on the world’s weather, many Fox News commentators have expressed their skepticism about the issue.
“We don’t argue or ignore” Berg said. “It’s part of how we live now. We’re going to translate it and base it on science and data, that’s what we focus on. This is a 100% pure weather product and weather-centric focused platform.”
In addition to stronger storms and larger wildfires, the science of forecasting has also changed. The new robust computing technology has greatly improved its predictive ability, and experts say it has also increased interest among consumers.
AccuWeather, for example, introduced the MinuteCast service in 2016 and has continuously improved it since then, offering very precise forecasts, such as when it will start raining on one side of the city. Porter said there was no way a similar service could run twenty years ago.
Along with technology, Berg said he He believes Fox has built an unrivaled weather news team.
“I think Fox Weather is getting into the airport at the right time and I think we’re building it on the right platform,” he said.
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