Zeteo

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Zeteo
Type of businessMedia company
Type of site
News website
FoundedApril 15, 2024
Headquarters
Washington D.C., United States
Area servedWorldwide
FounderMehdi Hasan
IndustryNews
Revenue$3.9 million (2025)
Employees9 editors, 14 contributors
URLzeteo.com
Users450,000+ subscribers
Current statusActive

Zeteo (/zəˈteɪoʊ/ zə-TAY-oh; from Ancient Greek ζητέω (zētéō) 'to seek, to inquire') is a media company and Substack newsletter founded by American commentator Mehdi Hasan on April 15, 2024,[1][2] after he quit MSNBC due to his talk show's cancellation. Hasan said it cost $4 million to launch the outlet and that it reports from a left-wing perspective,[3] covering news not reported by mainstream media outlets.[4] Zeteo has been called an alternative media outlet that espouses progressive values.[5][6][7] Various personalities such as Greta Thunberg and Naomi Klein write for the outlet.[8]

Zeteo publishes daily news and holds a weekly talk show, Mehdi Unfiltered, hosted by Hasan, and a weekly podcast.[4] The outlet has a YouTube channel with 1.2 million subscribers and uploads four to five videos per week.[5] Journalist Oliver Darcy wrote in August 2025 that Zeteo's newsletter has more than 450,000 subscribers and over 50,000 paid subscribers, who pay $12 per month.[9] Zeteo has an estimated annual revenue of $3.9 million as of 2025.[10]

History

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Mehdi Hasan

Pre-launch

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The Mehdi Hasan Show,[11] hosted by liberal commentator Mehdi Hasan on MSNBC, was canceled for unclear reasons in 2023. The incident caused him to leave the network, and as a result many people began to express increased support for him.[4] People who identified as progressive were upset because they found Hasan's style "unique" in the media. On February 28, 2024, Hasan announced the creation of a new media company, Zeteo.[3] Its name came from a Greek word meaning "to seek". Hasan scheduled Zeteo's full launch in April 2024 on Substack. He said Zeteo would feature daily news stories by various well-known writers, as well as a weekly talk show, Mehdi Unfiltered, and a weekly podcast. He said that to read the site's full content, users would need to subscribe for $6 per month.[4]

Hasan said he raised $4 million to fund the creation of the company, reportedly from his friends, family members, and fans who were disillusioned by the end of his talk show. He said Zeteo would cover news ignored by the mainstream media and that, unlike the Tucker Carlson Network, it would not center around him but would exist "with multiple voices".[4] In March 2024, Press Gazette wrote that the Zeteo newsletter would produce interviews, news, and op-eds from a left-leaning perspective and that Zeteo's Substack already had 94,000 subscribers in April and four editors, excluding Hasan. The publication was said to hire both US-based and international writers. The weekly show would be filmed at Zeteo's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Hasan said the podcast would feature figures from Hollywood the audience would find "surprising". He added that Zeteo would cover not only news but also culture and entertainment.[12]

Company

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In April 2024, Zeteo announced the start of its operations. The company said it hired various contributors, including activist Greta Thunberg, comedian W. Kamau Bell, writer Naomi Klein, journalist Spencer Ackerman, and former CNN correspondent John Harwood.[8] Substack officials held an event at the International Spy Museum for Hasan shortly after Zeteo's founding that was attended by hundreds of people, including journalist Kara Swisher and politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with whom Hasan talked about Palestine and Zeteo itself. The day before the event, Zeteo surpassed 150,000 subscribers, 20,000 of whom were paid, and became one of the top five biggest political newsletters on Substack by revenue. Zeteo's subscribers were reported to be from various parts of the world, 50% of them were from the US, 16% were from the UK and the rest were from 195 other countries.[13][14]

In September 2024, Zeteo had 206,000 total subscribers, of whom 31,000 were paid subscribers, 1,000 of whom pay $500 per year. Its annual revenue was reported to be $3 million. It was considered one of the most popular outlets on Substack, it employed nine editors and 14 contributors. Hasan described its audience as a mix of progressives and Democrats who previously watched his show.[2] In a November 2024 interview with Sreenivasan Jain, he discussed why he founded the company. He said Zeteo rose in popularity because people were "fed up" with "corporate media" and wanted independent journalism.[15]

On April 15, 2025, Zeteo's first anniversary, Hasan gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times about the state of the company. He said Zeteo was created during Ramadan with the help of four people. He said its popularity surpassed his team's expectations and that it was "in a very good place".[16] In September 2025, Zeteo launched a morning newsletter written by Hasan and Peter Rothpletz ans hired a number of Rolling Stone editors, including Asawin Suebsaeng, who told Semafor he was glad to be employed by Zeteo. Hasan said Zeteo had reached almost 500,000 non-paying subscribers and 50,000 paid subscribers on Substack. It also reportedly reached 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube, where it uploads four to five videos daily.[5] In November 2025, it was reported that Zeteo had an estimated annual revenue of $3.9 million.[10] In October, TheWrap estimated that Zeteo's paid subscribers generate over $500,000 annually and that its early revenue was $4.7 million.[17]

Content

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Notable interviews

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In May 2024, Pakistani politician Hina Butt accused on X (formerly Twitter) Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan of paying Zeteo for an exclusive interview with him that month. Her tweet was immediately hit with a community note by contributors, who said she had misunderstood the context of the word "paid" in Zeteo's article about the interview. The word actually meant that the article was available to paid subscribers.[18] Hasan Minhaj and Bassem Youssef have both been interviewed on the Zeteo's podcast series for We're Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends.[19]

In June 2024, Zeteo interviewed three former employees of the United States Department of Defense about the Gaza war. Haaretz reported that month that many Zeteo interviews went viral online and that Hasan was known to "rigorously" fact-check participants of Mehdi Unfiltered.[20] Zeteo has also interviewed American politician Zohran Mamdani.[21] One interview was in September 2025, when Mamdani criticized the Anti-Defamation League.[21] Another was in December 2024, when Mamdani said he would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if Mamdani became the mayor of New York City and Netanyahu visited.[22] After Mamdani won the mayoral election, Zeteo live-interviewed supporters including Hasan Piker, Jamaal Bowman, Cynthia Nixon, Naomi Klein, Jennifer Welch, and Mahmoud Khalil.[23] In October 2025, anti-Zionist activist and IfNotNow founder Simone Zimmerman interviewed American actress Hannah Einbinder for Zeteo. They spoke about their Jewish upbringing and contextualized why Einbinder said in her Emmy Award acceptance speech on live national television, "Go Birds, fuck ICE, and free Palestine".[24]

Documentaries

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In July 2024, Zeteo published its first documentary film, Israel's Reel Extremism. It shows various posts by Israel Defense Forces soldiers on social media and interviews with the soldiers who posted them. The film was produced by Basement Films and its premiere was co-hosted by Jewish Currents.[25][26] In May 2025, Zeteo released another documentary, Who Killed Shireen?, which analyzes the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank.[27] It concludes that she was killed by the Duvdevan Unit soldier of the IDF.[28] The film is 40 minutes long and was also co-premiered by Jewish Currents.[29] On July 3, 2025, Zeteo published an hour-long documentary, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack. It was initially commissioned by BBC News but not aired by the channel. It was produced by Basement Films and directed by three people, including one former employee of Channel 4 News. The film shows the difficulties Palestinian medical personnel endure in the Gaza Strip.[30] It features interviews with health workers filmed in Gaza and was released only because it was acquired by Zeteo.[31]

Reception

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Zeteo has been called progressive,[5][6] alternative media,[7] and a left-leaning outlet.[27] Hasan has called it a "movement for media accountability",[17] from a left-wing perspective.[3] TheWrap noted that most of Zeteo's content focuses on the Gaza war and the second Trump administration.[17] Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack, said Zeteo's launch was done "freakishly well", adding: "The success it's had so far is unlike anything we've seen to date."[13] In April 2024, writer Ashley Rindsberg said Zeteo would face many challenges, such as low demand for its political news due to social media's dominance and low viewership for its show due to its focus on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[32]

In May 2024, a CNN reporter read an excerpt of a Zeteo article by a pro-Palestinian Columbia University student to U.S. House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson. Hasan told Rolling Stone this was a sign of Zeteo's increasing presence.[1] Also in May, the New Statesman called Zeteo "one of the most successful new media companies in the US" and said its creation was inspired by The Free Press.[33] In September 2024, The Washington Post wrote of Zeteo's launch, "so far, so good".[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Perez, Andrew (May 3, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan on Leaving MSNBC: 'A Lot of People Seem to Have Come With Me'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Barr, Jeremy (September 4, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan saw a market for a new kind of media company. So far, so good". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b c Johnson, Ted (February 28, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan Launches New Digital Media Company". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Barr, Jeremy (February 28, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan launches his own media company after leaving MSNBC". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b c d Tani, Max (September 8, 2025). "Mehdi Hasan's Zeteo wants to take on Politico Playbook from the left". Semafor. Archived from the original on September 30, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Mastrangelo, Dominick (February 28, 2024). "Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan launching his own media company". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Topping, Alexandra (August 8, 2025). "'1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives' – Mehdi Hasan on why he went on Surrounded". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Cobb, Kayla (April 15, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan Media Company Zeteo Sets Greta Thunberg, Cynthia Nixon and W. Kamau Bell as Contributors". TheWrap. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  9. ^ Darcy, Oliver (August 1, 2025). "The Zeteo Zoom". Status News. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Testa, Jessica; Mullin, Benjamin (November 18, 2025). "Substack Bets on Politics, With Millions at Stake". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  11. ^ Weprin, Alex (February 28, 2024). "After MSNBC Exit, Mehdi Hasan Launching Media Company Zeteo". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  12. ^ Maher, Bron (March 4, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan says new outlet Zeteo will be 'all-singing, all-dancing media company'". Press Gazette. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Jung, Alex (April 23, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan Wants to Debate You". New York Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  14. ^ Graber-Libberman, Nathan & Doyle, Hannah (April 19, 2024). "Broadcast Journalism, Now Streaming on X: Journalist Mehdi Hasan Starts News Company". The Publish Press. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  15. ^ "Journalist Mehdi Hasan on Trump's threats to the press, why he founded Zeteo, reporting on Hamas, & more". The News Minute. November 4, 2025.
  16. ^ Ali, Lorianne (April 15, 2025). "Mehdi Hasan reflects on Zeteo one year after launch: 'We're in a very good place'". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ^ a b c Bolies, Corbin (October 17, 2025). "On Substack, TV News Personalities Find a 2nd — and Successful — Life". TheWrap. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  18. ^ "Fact check: Imran Khan did not pay for Zeteo interview as alleged by PML-N's Hina Butt". Dawn. May 30, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  19. ^ Zeteo (December 9, 2024). Hasan Minhaj Roasts Mehdi Hasan. Retrieved November 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ Nechin, Etan (June 9, 2024). "'If This Isn't a Genocide, Then What Is?': Mehdi Hasan on Israel's War in Gaza and Why Biden Needs It to End Now". Haaretz.
  21. ^ a b Kornbluh, Jacob (September 26, 2025). "The ADL doesn't speak for New York Jews' concerns, says Zohran Mamdani". The Forward. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  22. ^ Tress, Luke (July 10, 2025). "NYC hopeful Mamdani's vow to arrest Netanyahu likely oversteps what US mayors can do". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909.
  23. ^ Zeteo (November 5, 2025). Zeteo's NYC Mayoral Election Coverage — LIVE from the Zohran Mamdani HQ. Retrieved November 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ Zeteo (October 26, 2025). Why Hannah Einbinder Said ‘FREE PALESTINE’ — And What Came Next. Retrieved November 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Israel's Reel Extremism". Jewish Currents. July 1, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  26. ^ Berkowitz, Michael (September 5, 2024). "'Israel's Reel Extremism': Lessons unlearned". People's World. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  27. ^ a b Kingsley, Patrick (May 8, 2025). "New Film Names Soldier in Palestinian American Journalist's Shooting". The New York Times.
  28. ^ Borger, Julian (May 8, 2025). "New film claims to identify Israeli killer of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  29. ^ "Who Killed Shireen?". Jewish Currents. May 7, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  30. ^ NP, Ullekh (July 3, 2025). "'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack' lifts the veil on crimes against humanity". Open. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  31. ^ Meek, Andy (July 2, 2025). "Mehdi Hasan's Zeteo Picks Up Gaza Documentary The BBC Refused To Air". Forbes. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  32. ^ Rindsberg, Ashley (April 17, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan's new media channel: activism as journalism". UnHerd. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  33. ^ Lambert, Harry (May 15, 2024). "Mehdi Hasan: "We don't value Palestinian life"". New Statesman. Retrieved October 20, 2025.