Fox launches free weather streaming service

NEW YORK — Fox News Media is getting into another rough-and-tumble world — the weather.

The company is launching Fox Weather, a free streaming service and app that it expects will be used most frequently by customers on their mobile devices.

In preparation for the Monday start, Fox has been building a staff, plucking personnel from The Weather Channel and markets in New York, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Charlotte, North Carolina, and elsewhere.

Advances in weather technology and interest created by climate change and more powerful storms has made weather news a popular area in which to invest, experts say.

Fox Weather is moving into a market dominated by longtime players like The Weather Channel and AccuWeather — both of whom have been busy building their own new products — as well as aggressive niche players.

Some of the Fox News Media products — like the Fox Business Network and Fox Nation streaming service — are ideologically comfortable for viewers of the main Fox News Channel. That raises the question of whether the same would be true of Fox Weather. While executives at both The Weather Channel and AccuWeather stressed that their services are paying attention to the impact of climate change on the world’s weather, several Fox News commentators have expressed skepticism about the subject.

“We’re not debating or ignoring it,” said Sharri Berg, Fox Weather president. “It’s part of how we live now. We’ll be translating it and basing it on science and data, that is what we are focused on.”

In addition to more powerful storms and bigger wildfires, the science of forecasting has also changed. Newly robust computer technology has greatly improved forecasting ability, and experts say this has also fueled interest among consumers.

“I think Fox Weather is entering the ... space at the right time, and I think we’re building it on the right platform,” Berg said.