Mark Levin's CRTV and Glenn Beck's The Blaze have merged to form a right-wing media and opinion giant that appears poised to compete directly with Fox News' just-launched streaming service.
Beck announced the deal Monday after The Hollywood Reporter wrote about it Sunday.
"So many people came up and said, 'You know, you guys just have to get together,'" Beck said on his radio program. "So we took that at heart, and we did that."
Financial terms of the merger were not disclosed.
The Blaze's website, started by Beck in 2010, claims that the newly formed Blaze Media will reach more than 165 million people every month, making it the "largest independent, traditionally conservative multiplatform media company" in the U.S.
Levin, a popular radio host and the founder of LevinTV, which grew to become CRTV, will join the Blaze brand name, along with other hosts including Michelle Malkin, "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson, former Fox co-host Eric Bolling and others.
The announcement comes less than a week after Fox launched its $5.99-a-month streaming opinion site, Fox Nation. That subscription service started with a slate of original content featuring some of the television network's regular contributors and hosts. A monthly pass to the BlazeTV service costs $10, according to its website.
