Rumble (NASDAQ:RUM), the online platform whose cloud services provider hosts the social media service Truth Social, will get into the pay-per-view video market with comedian Russell Brand.
On Wednesday, Rumble (RUM) said regular viewers will be able to purchase Brand’s new comedy special, Brandemic, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern, on March 15, for $19.99. It will be Rumble’s (RUM) first pay-per-view offering. Annual subscribers to Rumble’s (RUM) Locals option will be able to watch Brandemic as part of their subscriptions.
Rumble (RUM) is promoting Brand’s stand-up special as “acall for freedom, a call for unity, a call for sanity.” Among the topics Brand has spoken often of late is what he has called the deception that governments have used to tamp down on public dissension about how COVID-19 originated and the lockdowns, mask mandates and other restrictions put in place during the pandemic.
Brand has also been outspoken about recent reports saying that government officials now believe COVID-19 originated in a research lab in Wuhan, China, and made a crack about that subject in a statement announcing his stand-up special on Rumble (RUM).
“Ask yourself,” Brand said. “Could this special be on the mainstream media–and did it originate from a lab or a wet market?”
Opinions on Rumble’s (RUM) shares are all over the place. Wall Street analysts have a consensus buy rating on the company’s stock, while Seeking Alpha authors give the shares a sell rating. Seeking Alpha’s Quant System, which historically outperforms the stock market, splits the difference and gives a hold rating to Rumble’s shares.