Going into 2025, one of the key players in Conservative Inc. has undergone a massive shakeup. After his Hollywood ambitions brought financial ruin to the company, Jeremy Boreing was removed as CEO of the company relegated to his Pendragon Cycle project. Essentially, he had used a media company that generates $200 million in annual revenue to finance a TV series that’s cost, at the minimum of 25-50% of the company’s revenues because that is how much period-piece TV costs to produce before marketing expenses. The company further underwent layoffs shortly after Boreing’s departure.
Now, the Daily Wire has launched a Lifetime Membership. This gives buyers an all-access membership with no renewal fees. Other perks include early access to Pendragon, a Daily Wire legacy pin, and a signed copy of Ben Shapiro’s book. The move brands itself as a means “to build the future and ensure that the best is yet to come.” The price: $1,500.00.
Relative to the price of “All Access,” the promotional price is $144 for the first year, while the price thereafter jumps to $249. Basically, it is a means to sell ten years of membership at a discounted rate, as the costs of the promotion with nine years of All Access at the renewal price would be under $2,400. The overall discount is 37.5%. Only ten thousand of these lifetime memberships will be sold. This means the maximum revenue they could generate from this gimmick is $15 million.
In business, there is a concept of “lifetime customer value” which even for a company like Daily Wire, might not amount to their paid subscribers sticking around for a decade. After all, they discount the premium plan to $144 to get people hooked before the auto renewal jumps the price by a hundred dollars. Many customers probably downgrade to Insider, which is roughly the same price as the promotional All Access. It would actually be cheaper to buy ten years of Insider than the Lifetime membership. Furthermore, the notion that a Conservative media outlet retains its paid subscribers for ten years makes delivering such value a daunting task for the company.
Analysis
The Daily Wire is known for its marketing gimmicks. Issuing private-label razors was actually a successful project that Jeremy Boreing branded as CEO and represented a strategy for sales growth in a media space often plagued by questionable sponsors. They sold $20 million of a commoditized product, albeit it was tied into other promotions. However, the notion of trying to retain some form of Lifetime customer value in one transaction to the maximum potential of $15 million reeks of a cash grab. Essentially, Daily Wire is raising capital from its subscribers, perhaps because alternative avenues have already been tapped. A quick $15 million will not make the difference between profit and loss, especially as Pendragon marketing expenses will be made going into the series release. Generating these sales now represents a show of force to outside investors that the Daily Wire has a strong base of support.
In Conservative media, the notion that one can project the landscape in ten years is farcical. Starting with the personnel, there is no anticipating the turnover in talent over the next decade. While many speculate on whether they will retain Matt Walsh, even their personalities like Andrew Klavan (71) and Jordan Peterson (63) are aged, so the audience cannot assume they will be around making content for the Daily Wire in ten years. Moreover, Peterson has suffered reputational depreciation since joining Daily Wire. As the boomer generation ages out, the question must also be asked whether the younger generations, particularly those under 40, will take a liking to Daily Wire given their Zionist reputation, so even the company’s ability to maintain relevance over the next decade is debatable in a personality driven space. Personality clashes resulted in negative press associated with the contract negotiation with Steven Crowder and the departures of Candace Owens and Brett Cooper, so their ability to retain talent going into the next decade remains to be seen, especially when the aforementioned names, and others like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, can be successful on their own. The question of longevity applies even to competitors like The Blaze, where Glenn Beck (61) and Mark Levin (68) drive the brand, but the premium subscriptions do not add value when the content, by necessity, is made publicly available.
At the individual level, a person’s tastes may change in 10 years, and the Daily Wire has likely calculated that the average lifetime value of any subscriber is less than what can be gained in this one-time transaction. So this is an audacious means to collect up front a person’s support, which may not last more than a few years otherwise.
It will take more than money to establish the next decade in the Conservative media sphere as trust and authenticity, perceived or otherwise, are the primary drivers of growth in this market.
