The Hill, the Washington-based political news publication, is launching a new digital subscription service called the Hill Insider, capitalizing on a surge in reader interest driven by the second Trump administration.
Hill Insider subscription details
The basic membership tier costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 annually, while the premium tier is priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. Subscribers will gain access to newsletters, live interactive video calls, and other premium features. The main website will remain free to read.
Bill Sammon, senior vice-president for editorial content and a Fox News veteran, said the publication is experiencing a moment of heightened engagement. “I think we’re kind of having a moment right now,” Sammon said in an interview. “The viewership is engaged, and a lot of it has to do with, frankly, that there’s just so much going on in the news. It is a good time to be a journalist in Washington given the sheer volume of consequential stuff that’s just coming over the transom.”
Growth and profitability
The Hill was acquired by television conglomerate Nexstar in 2021 for $130 million. According to Sammon, the publication is profitable and has benefited from increased interest in political news. In May, it was the most-visited digital-first news publication dedicated to politics, surpassing competitors like Politico and Axios. The Hill still publishes a print product three days a week, delivered to every member of Congress’s office.
Sammon emphasized that the subscription service is additive. “For the very most part, we’ve developed all kinds of new value-added content that we think is going to serve our readers as we understand what our readers want … For people who are really into this, they just want more of it,” he said.
Sammon’s background and role
Sammon, who began his career as a print journalist, joined the Hill after being pushed out of Fox News following the 2020 election. In a November 20, 2020 email released as part of Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Fox, Rupert Murdoch suggested letting Sammon go to send a “big message with Trump people.” Sammon said he has many fond memories and retains great friendships from his time at Fox.
At Nexstar, Sammon also serves in a dual editorial role for NewsNation, the cable news channel owned by Nexstar that shares office space with the Hill. “I don’t have a lot of skillsets in this world and they found the two weird skillsets that I have, and there’s a job for that,” he said. “You need to know about newspapers and you need to know about cable TV. Well, that’s actually something I can do.”
Competitive landscape
While the direct-to-consumer subscription market is crowded, Sammon expressed hope that the Hill Insider will stand out. The publication, founded in 1994, aims to leverage its loyal readership to build a meaningful revenue stream.
