Dish Network Picks Up Glenn Beck's Blaze

Image credit: George Napolitano/Getty Images

The Glenn Beck presence is returning to TV.

On its one-year anniversary, the conservative commentator's 24-hour online news and entertainment network TheBlaze is heading to cable and satellite TV through an exclusive partnership with Dish network, the TheBlaze TV network announced today.

"After being phenomenally successful with his online streaming network, we're pleased to host Glenn Beck's return to broadcast TV, especially during this exciting and important political season," said Dish CEO and President Joseph Clayton in a statement.

Dish hosts a wide variety of news and commentary from MSNBC, BBC America, CNN, Fox News and Current.

Beck left Fox News in June 2011, after his show lost viewers and as many as 300 advertisers, according to The New York Times, following antics and comments that many believed went too far, such as Beck's saying the president had "a deep-seated hatred for white people."

Beck launched TheBlaze, which claims more than 300,000 subscribers, just before he left Fox.

"TheBlaze has helped revolutionize television over the Internet, and now we are excited to bring the revolution back to traditional television," Beck said in a statement.

The channel launches today at 5 p.m. ET, and will be available as a free preview for all Dish customers through Sept. 26, after which the channel will be available as part of a package, or a la carte for $5 a month.

"Many of the top names in cable and satellite TV have inquired about adding TheBlaze TV to their channel lineups," said Chris Balfe, the president of Beck's media company, Mercury Radio Arts, in a blog post. TheBlaze TV will be carried on cable and satellite networks nationwide, beginning today with Dish, said Balfe, but will still be available through an online subscription.