Executives at the Daily Wire say the right-of-center media company will stream premium versions of its popular radio shows and podcasts via the social media platform Twitter, starting later this month.
The decision to simulcast the shows on Twitter comes after several of the programs distributed by Daily Wire Plus were penalized on competing digital platforms, including YouTube, Facebook and TikTok, over apparent misrepresentations and unsubstantiated claims made by hosts and guests.
Last month, Daily Wire co-founder and co-CEO Jeremy Boreign accused the platforms of attempting to de-platform the company’s hosts with “capricious” fact-checks and suspensions across several accounts.
On Tuesday, Boreing called Twitter “the largest free-speech platform in the world,” and said the Daily Wire had received positive feedback from listeners and advertisers alike after doing a test run simulcast of “The Matt Walsh Show” on Twitter earlier in the month. The simulcast helped grow Matt Walsh’s Twitter account by more than 140,000 followers and earned more than 7.4 million cumulative video views, the Daily Wire said.
“[This] signals to us there is tremendous opportunity, which is why we’ve decided to distribute the rest of our shows on Twitter,” Boreing affirmed, adding that the company will make “another major announcement” next week.
The simulcasts will begin May 30 and include popular Daily Wire Plus programs like “The Ben Shapiro Show,” “The Candace Owens Podcast” and “The Dr. Jordan Peterson Podcast.” Executives at the Daily Wire said the simulcasts will stream for free on Twitter; the shows are also available via the Daily Wire Plus platform, which starts at $12 a month.
“If Elon Musk stands by his commitment to make Twitter a home for free speech and delivers on monetization opportunities and more sophisticated analytics for content creators, I imagine we will invest even more into the platform,” Boreing added, referring to Twitter’s current owner and former CEO who acquired the platform through a $44 billion private sale last year.
The Daily Wire’s announcement comes about two weeks after conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said he intends to launch a version of how now-defunct Fox News Channel program on Twitter. Carlson was fired from the channel in mid-April; prior to his dismissal, he spoke one-on-one with Musk in an interview streamed on Fox Nation, a subscription service operated by Fox News Media.
Musk has repeatedly positioned himself as a “free speech absolutist” who wants ideas and speech to flow without much consequence on Twitter. That said, he has also repeatedly banned journalists for apparent violations of Twitter’s rules, which he has changed numerous times during his short tenure as the platform’s owner.
