The Option

Tucker Carlson appears to be parting ways with Red Seat Ventures — the multichannel network Lachlan Murdoch acquired through Tubi in 2025 as the cornerstone of Fox's push into the creator economy. The exit exposes the structural fragility of the MCN model when the marquee talent is also the talent least dependent on what the network provides, and raises real questions about whether the Red Seat acquisition can justify itself without its biggest name. Key Takeaways: Red Seat Ventures was acquired by Lachlan Murdoch via Tubi in 2025 as a multichannel network (MCN) for independent...

Show Notes

Tucker Carlson appears to be parting ways with Red Seat Ventures — the multichannel network Lachlan Murdoch acquired through Tubi in 2025 as the cornerstone of Fox's push into the creator economy. The exit exposes the structural fragility of the MCN model when the marquee talent is also the talent least dependent on what the network provides, and raises real questions about whether the Red Seat acquisition can justify itself without its biggest name.

Key Takeaways:

  • Red Seat Ventures was acquired by Lachlan Murdoch via Tubi in 2025 as a multichannel network (MCN) for independent digital-first creators.
  • Tucker Carlson, the portfolio's marquee name, is reportedly exiting or has effectively exited the Red Seat relationship.
  • Red Seat functions as a talent services company — ad sales, production support, platform relationships — not a traditional studio or network.
  • The MCN model's core tension: the highest-leverage talent is also the talent least dependent on back-office services the MCN provides.
  • Disney's Maker Studios acquisition ($500M in 2014) is the cautionary precedent — top creators departed and Disney wrote the acquisition down almost entirely.
  • Carlson's audience (tens of millions) means any successor business arrangement is structured from a high-leverage talent position, favorable to his representatives.
  • The commercial health of Red Seat's second and third-tier roster — not the flagship — is now the key variable for evaluating the Tubi creator strategy.

For agents and producers working in the creator and podcast space, this is the clearest recent signal that MCN infrastructure deals are not lock-ins for top talent — and that the leverage hierarchy in the creator economy still tilts decisively toward anyone with an existing, self-sustaining audience. Watch for Tubi's public response (or silence) and any secondary creator departures from the Red Seat roster in the coming weeks.

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