Free Republic

Newsmax is returning to DirecTV, after the satellite giant dropped the conservative news and commentary channel from its lineup in January over an alleged carriage dispute. The two companies announced the new deal Wednesday morning, according to the Hollywood Reporter, saying that the channel would return to DirecTV and its streaming services again beginning Thursday. DirecTV’s CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement: This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to all our customers. Through our persistent negotiations, we reached a resolution under mutually-agreeable business terms...

DirecTV and Newsmax have reached a new multiyear deal that will bring the conservative channel back to some 13 million customers this week. The deal marks the end of a lengthy and bitter public relations battle between the two companies that hinged on carrier fees, with Newsmax’s leadership repeatedly accusing the cable provider of political bias. “Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a statement celebrating the agreement. “As a standalone company, DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago as it continues to do with...

Even a liberal media outlet raised questions about DirecTV’s standard of fairness in how it’s treating Newsmax in comparison to the leftist channels distributed on its platform. Newsweek’s Jan. 26 headline didn’t beat around the bush: “Newsmax Ratings Compared to Vice Raises Questions About DirecTV Fairness.” Newsmax reported after having its signal cut that it was “seeking a fee with a 75% discount to its market value, and compared to fees currently paid by DirecTV, almost all 50 channels below Newsmax in ratings get higher fees.” After propping up DirecTV’s excuse that it didn’t give Newsmax a “carriage fee” due...

DirecTV said that it was adding the conservative channel The First to its lineup, after it dropped Newsmax from its lineup in a dispute that stirred the ire of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The First, which features personalities including Bill O’Reilly and Dana Loesch, will be available on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse at no extra fees for subscribers. Up to now, it has been available only through streaming distribution, including on FAST networks. The announcement comes as Newsmax went dark on DirecTV. The satellite service owned by AT&T and private equity firm TPG blamed the removal on Newsmax’s...

President Donald Trump Wednesday night joined the outcry against AT&T DirecTV's removal of Newsmax from its satellite and cable systems, calling it "disgusting" and saying that the move was a "big blow to the Republican Party and to America itself." In a post on his Truth Social, Trump wrote: "WOW. AT&T DIRECTV REMOVES NEWSMAX FROM ITS CHANNEL LINEUP. This disgusting move comes after “deplatforming” OAN last year. The Radical Left seems to have taken over the mind and soul of AT&T. This is a big blow to the Republican Party, and to America itself.” Trump continued: “For DIRECTV to drop...

There appears to be a trend going on at liberal video programming distributor DirecTV. The company dropped Newsmax from its channel lineup just months after it nixed One America News from the platform. Newsmax reported Jan. 25 that DirecTV “cut” the outlet’s “signal, immediately shutting the network off from more than 13 million customers of the satellite service, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse." Newsmax said it was “seeking a fee with a 75% discount to its market value, and compared to fees currently paid by DirecTV, almost all 50 channels below Newsmax in ratings get higher fees.” Newsmax Media CEO Christopher...

The future of One America News, which established itself as a powerful voice in conservative media by promoting some of the most outlandish falsehoods about the 2020 election, is in serious doubt as major carriers drop it from their lineups and defamation lawsuits threaten to drain its finances. By the end of this week, the cable network will have lost its presence in some 20 million homes this year. The most recent blow came from Verizon, which will stop carrying OAN on its Fios television service starting Saturday. That will starve the network of a major stream of revenue: the...

Two U.S. Senators, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, have written an official letter to AT&T inquiring into its politically-motivated decision to cut One America News Network (OANN) from DirectTV. Cruz and Lee both press the AT&T Board of Directors for answers regarding the “personal financial” influences that may have swayed the company’s decision. The decision to not renew its contract with OANN was announced by DirecTV in mid-January. DirecTV, which is primarily run by AT&T, has a contract with OANN that is set to expire in early April. In response to this major decision, President Trump spoke out at an...

The largest satellite provider in the United States said late Friday it will drop One America News, a move that could financially cripple the rightwing TV network known for fueling conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The announcement by DirecTV, which is 70% owned by AT&T, comes three months after a Reuters investigation revealed that OAN's founder testified that AT&T inspired him to create the network. Court testimony also showed that OAN receives nearly all of its revenue from DirecTV. To read the Reuters report, click here: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oneamerica-att/ The Reuters report drew calls from some liberal groups for AT&T and...

One of the nation’s biggest satellite broadcasters, DirecTV, plans to drop carriage of the fringe right-wing cable outlet One America News, several months after a Reuters report revealed that AT&T, one of DirecTV’s owners, was responsible for a large part of the media outlet’s overall revenue. OAN is owned by Herring Networks, founded by the entrepreneur Robert Herring Sr. “We informed Herring Networks that, following a routine internal review, we do not plan to enter into a new contract when our current agreement expires,” DirecTV said in a statement. A spokesman would not comment on a report from Bloomberg News...

DirecTV plans to drop @OANN , dealing a major blow to the conservative channel that’s been criticized for spreading misinformation and had a loyal fan in former President Donald Trump.

Isabel Albright of San Lorenzo was among the oldest people in America - living through two world wars, 18 presidents and seven moon landings. She was born before television came into being. Yet, ironically, she didn't outlive her satellite TV contract. And that was a problem. "Everything was fine until we went to disconnect and that's when all the surprises happened,'' said her son in law, John Manrique of Hayward. Albright died last December at the remarkable age of 102. The family has been repairing the house for sale, sifting through boxes, closing up a life that spanned a whole...

AT&T Inc. is exploring parting with its DirecTV satellite unit...a move that would mark a mark a sharp course correction in strategy for Chief Executive Randall Stephenson, who billed his $49 billion bet on the satellite provider as a key to the phone giant’s future...AT&T acquired DirecTV in 2015 for $49 billion. The company’s shrinking satellite business is under a microscope after activist investor Elliott Management Corp. disclosed a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T last week and released a report pushing for strategic changes. Elliott has told investors that AT&T should unload DirecTV...

AT&T announced that it was buying Time Warner for $85.4 billion in October 2016. The Justice Department sued last year to block the merger, citing concerns that AT&T, owner of satellite television provider DirecTV, could charge rival distributors more for Time Warner content, resulting in higher prices for consumers. The outcome of the trial could have implications for future deals in the telecom and media industries, as well as vertical mergers, where companies combine with their suppliers. A federal judge said Tuesday that AT&T's $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner is legal, clearing the path for a deal that gives...

Michael Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action is urging Amazon, Apple, and YouTube to cut ties with NRATV. DirectTV, AT&T, Google, and Roku are also being pressured to make the break. According to Huff Post, Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts released a statement saying, “NRATV is home to the NRA’s most dangerous and violence-inciting propaganda. It’s time for tech leaders to acknowledge their role in helping the NRA spread this dangerous content and cut it out.” She added, “We demand that Apple, Amazon, AT&T’s DIRECTV, Google and Roku all dump NRATV once and for all.” Brad Chase is friends with the...

DirecTV’s “NFL Sunday Ticket” cable package just got more expensive for football fans. The standard version of the service, which allows subscribers to stream every NFL game, will cost $293.94 for the 2018 NFL season, according to DirecTV’s website. That price marks an increase of about 4% from last season, when the basic version of “NFL Sunday Ticket” cost $281.94. An upgraded version of the package, which includes the “NFL Red Zone” channel and exclusive fantasy football analysis, will see a price hike to $395.94, up more than 4% compared to last year. The price increases were met with widespread...

CBS’ and Fox’s projected earnings will suffer a hit, according to two separate reports by Credit Suisse, and falling NFL ratings will continue to impact network earnings so long as they are on a downward trend. Why are earnings suffering? CBS’ crashing NFL ratings will directly impact company earnings, Omar Sheikh, Credit Suisse analyst, said. Special: 3 foods to avoid in 2017 “We expect third-quarter network advertising to decline 3 percent (previously +1 percent), driven by soft ratings for both the summer schedule and for the start of the NFL season,” Sheikh said, according to CNBC. “With only one of...

AT&T will report heavy subscriber losses at DirecTV in its third-quarter earnings later this month, bleeding that the telco giant chalked up to heightened competition in the pay-TV arena and the wallop of the summer hurricane season. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late Wednesday, AT&T said it would post a net loss of 90,000 traditional video subscribers for the quarter, offset by the addition of nearly 300,000 subscribers to its DirecTV Now streaming service. AT&T reports its third-quarter earnings on Oct. 24. As MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett observed, the net loss means DirecTV is losing about 390,000 traditional...

DirecTV is allowing customers to get refunds when they cancel their Sunday Ticket package if they cite players protesting during the national anthem as the reason for ending the service, Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal reports. According to The Journal, different DirecTV representatives provided contradicting answers when asked if refunds would be provided, but customers who contacted The Journal said they were getting at least some refunds. One DirecTV representative told The Journal that only customers with specific plans could get refunds, another said customers could get prorated refunds for the remainder of the season, a third said...

One America News Network And A Wealth Of Entertainment Launching On DIRECTV And DIRECTV NOW San Diego, CA – April 5, 2017, Herring Networks, Inc., announced today that One America News Network, (“OAN”) and A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) launched today on DIRECTV and will launch on the streaming service DIRECTV NOW in the coming weeks. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with DIRECTV that will enable One America News Network and AWE to join the DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW programming lineup,” said Charles Herring, president of Herring Networks, Inc. One America News Network is a dependable and...