Steve Bannon and Trump megadonor Robert Mercer plotting an even more right-wing Fox News

Steve Bannon and his billionaire patrons may be plotting a TV network to attack Fox News from the right.

The former White House chief strategist returned to Breitbart News after his firing by President Donald Trump, and Axios has reported that he and the billionaire Mercer family are planning a far-right rival to the conservative Fox News.

Bannon is reportedly angry at Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of parent company 21st Century Fox, and eager to take on his sons, who now run the conservative cable network.

The elder Murdoch pushed for Bannon's firing, and son James Murdoch last week condemned the "racist mob" in Charlottesville and praised "diverse storytelling" as the "animating force in my business."

Axios reported that Bannon and Trump megadonor Robert Mercer could try to pry away Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs from Fox, or bring Bill O'Reilly back to the air after he was fired over sexual harassment claims.

Breitbart is not a serious rival to Fox News, although the right-wing website does influence its coverage -- but Axios speculated Bannon could form an alliance with the ultraconservative Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation's largest owner of TV stations.