Coming Soon: Web Networks for a Bevy of Celebrities

An under-the-radar media company called Whalerock could become a threat to the entertainment establishment.

Following the cut-out-the-middleman model pioneered by Glenn Beck, who left Fox News in 2011 to start his own subscription-based Internet television channel, Whalerock Industries has made deals to create similar personal networks for some big names: the Kardashian sisters, Howard Stern and the rap star Tyler, the Creator. These channels, set to arrive in the coming months and available via the web and mobile app, will offer a mix of paid and free programming, said Lloyd Braun, the owner of Whalerock and a former senior executive at ABC and Yahoo. Depending on the channel, offerings will eventually include music, video, exclusive photos, interviews, merchandise, games and other “premium” content, Braun said. Whalerock’s longer-term goal is to shift the power -- and the lion’s share of the profit -- away from traditional media companies and toward talent.