BOCA RATON, FLA. — A lengthy battle over carriage fees that led to the removal of the Newsmax MVPD-distributed cable TV news channel from all DirecTV platforms has ended.
A business agreement for multi-year distribution has been signed, and this will bring the conservative-leaning channel that has chipped away at FOX News’ dominance in the cable TV news and opinion space back to DirecTV.
Newsmax will return to DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM on channel 349 today, and on U-verse channel 1220 on Thursday, March 23.
The agreement incorporates the DirecTV Stream service and the U-verse service formerly associated with AT&T.
It ends an eight-week impasse between DirecTV and Newsmax, which saw the DBS provider on January 25 lose the rights to distribute Newsmax. Disagreement on financial terms was the culprit. That said, Newsmax made it clear that there was perhaps a bigger information control plan at play, and that Newsmax was deliberately being prevented from reaching a segment of the U.S. population.
In prepared comments, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said, “Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones. As a standalone company, DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago as it continues to do with upcoming news networks, which is why we are pleased to reach a mutually beneficial agreement that will deliver our network to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse customers over the next several years.”
DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow added, “This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to our customers. Through our persistent negotiations, we reached a resolution under mutually-agreeable business terms allowing us to deliver the conservative news network at the right value — a reflection of the free market at work.”
Perhaps the most telling comment from DirecTV is that Newsmax will be available on all DirecTV platforms “at no additional cost to customers.” Thus, a reset of retransmission fees to a higher amount, a key desire for Ruddy and Newsmax, is likely not transpiring.
The return of Newsmax was warmly greeted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
“Having Newsmax back on the air is a victory for free speech over powerful corporations that want to put their thumbs on the scale of the national conversation,” he said. “This outcome speaks to the power of citizens and their elected representatives working to stop viewpoint discrimination. I’m grateful to my colleagues, Senators Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee, and Tom Cotton, for joining me in this fight. Our democracy’s health depends on free speech, which is why I will keep using my perch as the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee to stop the silencing of conservatives whether it occurs with Big Media or Big Tech.”
On February 1, Cruz, Graham (R-S.C.), Lee (R-Utah), and Cotton (R-Ark.) sent a letter to the CEOs of DirectTV and its controlling shareholders, AT&T and TPG, voicing deep concerns about DirecTV’s decision to drop Newsmax. The letter demanded answers and information about the decision.
It was prompted by a January 2022 decision by DirecTV to drop One America News Network (OANN), which has waned with respect to total viewership and national distribution. It remains absent from DirecTV. With the addition of Newsmax, DirecTV now offers consumers six 24/7 news networks — CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation, and The First. The latter offering was added during the Newsmax dispute and is the home of veteran commentator Bill O’Reilly.
While largely known for its MVPD-distributed channel, Newsmax in late 2021 began syndicating The Rob Carson Show to radio stations across the U.S. The first affiliate, WCBM-AM 680 in Baltimore, has enjoyed strong ratings performances since its placement in the Noon-3pm Eastern time slot once occupied by the late Rush Limbaugh.
