![]() ![]() “They are trying to close us down.”ĭirecTV’s Thun disputed the claim, saying it’s a business decision. “The cost-cutting is always on the backs of conservatives,” Ruddy said in an interview. OAN, which also was seeking carriage fees, claimed the decision to pull the channel was politically motivated. Last year, DirecTV dropped One America News, a small San Diego-based right-wing channel that aggressively pushed Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. ![]() Several Newsmax hosts are unapologetic advocates of Trump (his former press secretary Sean Spicer has a daily program), and it is the only network that continues to air his campaign rallies live. (The company later merged Warner with Discovery Inc.) The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit, but a judge ruled in favor of AT&T and the deal was completed. Trump’s administration unsuccessfully acted to block AT&T’s merger with Time Warner in 2017 because he was angry over CNN’s coverage of him. ![]() (The network recently added to its lineup Greta Van Susteren, who has worked at both CNN and Fox News.)Ĭhris Ruddy, chief executive and the majority shareholder of Newsmax Media, links DirecTV’s position to AT&T’s tensions with former President Trump. Newsmax has argued that it’s worth paying for, asking for about $1 per subscriber annually, due to its audience size and investment in correspondents and anchors. In its latest offer, DirecTV said it was willing to keep Newsmax in its lineup at the same terms, without any compensation. Our decision is based on economics, not political ideology.”ĭirecTV has offered Newsmax to 13 million subscribers since its launch in 2014 but did not pay a fee as it does for other, more established networks. “When we’re facing even more intense cost pressure, then we have to squint at that deal extra hard and make that determination for our product and for our customers,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer for DirecTV, in an interview. Pay television providers are under growing pressure as more consumers drop their subscriptions due to rising costs and the popularity of streaming platforms. Former President Donald Trump - whose rallies continue to give Newsmax its highest ratings - called the move “disgusting” and urged people to cancel their subscriptions to DirecTV and AT&T’s mobile network.ĭirecTV maintains that its decision to drop Newsmax is strictly business-driven. The controversial network has described DirecTV’s action as “de-platforming,” an act of censorship and an attempt to silence conservative voices. On air and online, Newsmax has complained, without evidence, that DirecTV’s actions are driven by its disdain for conservatives. Such disputes are common in the pay TV industry, but this one has taken on the look of a nasty political campaign. There have been pleas urging viewers to call the El Segundo-based DirecTV and its majority stakeholder, AT&T, and demand the return of Newsmax to DirecTV’s channel lineup. 25 after the two sides failed to come to terms on a new carriage agreement. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based outfit’s anchors have been pounding away at satellite TV provider DirecTV, which dropped Newsmax on Jan. Viewers who have tuned into the conservative news channel Newsmax in recent weeks may think they are watching a telethon. ![]()
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