New Larry King Show Debuts On Carlos Slim's Online TV Network

hannytalker

Larry King is back doing interviews again beginning Tuesday [July 17], courtesy of his longtime friend Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man. But in keeping with the times, King has switched venues from a cable TV network to an online TV website.

Slim’s Mexico-based telecom firm America Movil is backing Ora.tv, a new online TV network. Its first and so far only show is “Larry King Now”.

King is kicking off his show, which is available for viewing on both Ora.tv and Hulu, by interviewing Meghan McCain, comedian Seth MacFarlane (of “Family Guy”) and actor Matthew McConaughey. Larry King Now will air four days a week, with new 30-minute shows posted for viewing every Monday through Thursday in the early evening Eastern time, according to Ora.tv.

King’s interviewing formula hasn’t changed too much since his CNN days. One difference: The interview took place at King’s home, a more intimate setting than a TV studio.

King, age 78, hosted the interview show Larry King Live on CNN for 25 years, until he stepped down in December 2010. He and Carlos Slim have been friends for years, and Ora.tv stems from conversations the two of them had, according to an Ora.tv spokesman. King attended the opening of Carlos Slim’s museum, the Museo Soumaya, in Mexico City in 2011.

In an interview in January, Slim told me he was interested in having America Movil produce content but didn’t intend for content to become a core business. A spokesman for Ora.tv declined to say how much America Movil is spending to launch and develop the online TV network, and Ora.tv has not disclosed the other shows it is developing. Plans for the digital network were first unveiled in March.

Slim topped the rankings of the Forbes World’s Billionaires list in March with a net worth of $69 billion. This new effort is unlikely to boost his net worth anytime soon, but it is an experiment worth keeping tabs on.