DIRECTV last night lost the right-wing news channel, Newsmax, in a carriage dispute between the companies. (The blackout also affects DIRECTV Stream and U-verse.)
The TV provider early this morning issued a statement saying that Newsmax wanted “significant” carriage fees to stay on the three TV services. The channel previously provided its signal for free, DIRECTV claimed.
“On multiple occasions, we made it clear to Newsmax that we wanted to continue to offer the network, but ultimately Newsmax’s demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base,” the DIRECTV statement reads. “Anyone, including our customers, can watch the network for free via NewsmaxTV.com, YouTube.com and on multiple streaming platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Google Play. We continually evaluate the most relevant programming to provide our customers and expect to fill this available channel with new content.”
DIRECTV, which recently laid off hundreds of employees, is likely looking to reduce costs as the nation enters what could be a recession year. But Newsmax disputes DIRECTV’s contention that it now wants carriage fees to stay on the TV services.
“That is simply false. DIRECTV knows that no operator pays a fee while Newsmax streams free,” Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, said in an article at the Newsmax web site.
Newsmax and its GOP supporters in Congress claim DIRECTV removed the channel because it was conservative. Noting that DIRECTV dropped OAN, another right-leaning news channel, last year, the GOP members say the TV provider is exhibiting a liberal bias.
Click Amazon: See Today’s 1-Day-Only Deals!
“Newsmax is one of the most watched cable news channels in America; millions of people turn to Newsmax as a source of trusted information. Now more than ever, the American people need access to a free and fair press,” Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) told the Washington Examiner which first reported on a letter the GOP group sent to DIRECTV. “I am sure that DIRECTV will claim that removing Newsmax from their lineup of channels was purely a business decision, but that is hard to accept when liberal news channels like Vice Media continue to remain on the air. Vice is a ratings failure for DIRECTV, yet they continue to profit from their relationship with DIRECTV.”
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
Bias towards actual facts not need to always be called liberal bias.
The tangerine turd lost the election, and lost it bigly.
He lost, Trumpers. Now go home and brush that tooth!
The ability or willingness to verify information is no longer viable. Folks are tired, lazy, gullible and would rather group into teams that believe whatever they want because it fits their perspective, how ever warped it may be. Media outlets have taken advantage of this situation by proliferating questionable and sometimes false information in order to attract viewers and click throughs for advertising dollars. The process of labeling (i.e. liberal, conservative) is the weapon of choice when making the “other” team appear as the enemy. All this in the name of money, power and influence perpetuated by the top 1%. Citizens United has done its job. Time to change the channel. It is covered here: real.mgzcom.net
Direct TV, YOUR FIRED I was a subscriber since 1998. Happy to say they’re no longer fueling their lib train with my money.
Mike, I’m sure that Direct will soon be forced out of business, now that they lost your business. 🙄
Fact is Newsmax averages 101,000 viewers. It is 92% lower than Fox News, 84% less than MSNBC and 79% less than CNN.(Info from Multichannel News) Capitalism working as it should.
I am going to cancel my at&t cell phone and go with another company. Will not use them or direct again. Everyone must cancel. That’s the only way they stop this
censorship.
Gayle, please read your 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Then you’ll find out that “censorship” is an action carried out by governments and governments only. What Direct, who is no longer part of AT&T did, is called “‘getting rid of the deadwood”.
Nancy Pelosi is letter asking direct to do OAN, Newsmax, and FoxNews. Last I SAS she is government.
Gayle, looks like Fox News anchors have admitted via court depositions (i.e. $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit) that all of the stolen election barbs and voting machine conspiracy theories had no grounds in reality. Newsmax and OAN went whole hog on the falsehoods as well. Their bosses told them to do, as per the disposed anchors, in order to pump up the ratings and collect ad revenue. Because of the perpetual regurgitation of said truthiness by the previously mentioned, certain employees of the related voting machine/software companies received death threats because of the repetitive nature of the fabricated information and the acceptance of said fairy tales by some of the viewers who tried to take action. Newsmax and OAN were forced to make retractions as they too are being sued. Did all this drama affect DTV’s decision in regards to Newsmax? Maybe. Yet one must also engage the fact that when your ratings and viewer engagement are in the toilet followed by demands for more money for your content the answer is usually, no.