Posted on 01/25/2023 6:27:46 AM PST by Red Badger
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include comment from a DirecTV spokesperson confirming Newsmax’s end of availability on the satellite TV provider.
DirecTV dropped Newsmax, a conservative-leaning cable news channel, Tuesday night following what the satellite TV provider claimed were failed negotiations regarding fees, a spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“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,” a spokesperson for DirecTV told the DCNF.
The satellite TV service dropped One America News Network (OAN) in April 2022, following pressure from liberals, including members of Congress. Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas and 41 other congressional Republicans wrote to DirecTV Friday, urging the company not to drop the network. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Freedom Caucus Challenges DirecTV For Removing One America News Network From Platform)
DirecTV said OANN was dropped following a “routine internal review” by the satellite TV provider, which accounted for 90% of the conservative network’s revenue, according to Reuters.
“On February 22, 2021, Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to AT&T and DIRECTV encouraging the censorship of conservative television networks One America News Network (OANN), Fox News, and Newsmax,” the Republican representatives said. “Given the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee over your companies’ business interests, it is reasonable to assume you took this letter seriously and complied with these demands.”
The letter noted that DirecTV carried a number of left-leaning networks, including VICE media, and that VICE received higher fees than Newsmax, and warned of oversight hearings should AT&T drop Newsmax.
“Taken together, these two actions lead us to believe that DIRECTV, one of the nation’s largest Multichannel Video Programming Distributors, is actively working to limit conservative viewpoints on its system,” the Republican representatives said.
DirectTV said that the dispute with Newsmax centered over the payment of fees to the network by the satellite TV provider, according to Broadcasting and Cable, claiming that Newsmax did not charge a fee in the past for allowing DirecTV to carry the network.
“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,” a DirecTV spokesperson told the DCNF. “We continually evaluate the most relevant programming to provide our customers and expect to fill this available channel with new content.”
Yep.
Now I wish I had DirecTV so I could cancel it.
I get Newsmax and OANN on Roku.
I wonder if they’re available anywhere else now? I don’t have them in my Spectrum package.
And millions of useful idiots will keep paying DirecTV just so they can watch their sportsball.
Give them bread and circuses.
I have Newsmax in my Spectrum package, so you should have it also!!! Newsmax is NOW streaming live on Gettr and you can watch on their app also!!
I had Directv for a couple of decades I think. Ever since they started and my unit cost $1000 and I had to install the dish myself. (I couldn’t get cable to my house). Over the years they kept raising prices until it finally broke the camel’s back. Near $200/month.....
Told them to shove it and went with Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu and whatever add-on premium channels I wanted. The cost is still much less than half what I was stupidly paying for Directv.
It’s a technology reserved for governments with big bucks and not for consumers, IMO. They’ve lost subscribers hand-over-fist and they just don’t care. Dump them and go streaming over internet.
I have the basic Spectrum package which I got mainly because I got a discount by getting it bundled with my high-speed WiFi. I know there’s an expanded package available and that’s probably where Newsmax is. The basic has CNN, MSNBC and Fox, as far as news channels go and I don’t watch any of them.
I get Newsmax and OAN on Roku and they’re the only news channels I’ll watch now.
If you have ROKU, you definitely need to put Real America’s Voice on your channel lineup!
It ia far superior to any other conservative labeled channel.
You will be very happy!
And I’m dropping ATT ASAP.
And I’m dropping ATT ASAP.
Get REAL AMERICA’S VOICE on Roku
Far superior to any other conservative channel,
It’s better to just get subscriptions online to Roku now.
Thanks. I hadn’t even heard of that one. I’ll put it in the search.
Newsmax over the target DirecTV takes action truth is to dangerous for their agenda.
“endless shilling for Ukraine”
Yup—I watched them a couple of times—the pathetic pandering to the military industrial complex and the Deep State made me puke.
They are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
The Newsmax contract expired.
Newsmax demanded carriage rates to stay on Dish.
Dish declined due to a deceasing subscriber base.
Dish countered with increased advertising time.
Newsmax declined.
Newsmax is no longer carried by Dish.
Seems like Newsmax made this decision.
This is about DirecTV, not DISH...................
Please forgive me Mr. Whoopee for not caring about the difference of two companies on a dying format. But the end result is the same, Newsmax chose not to renew withDirectTV. That means that they beloved they could not sell the extra ad time due to no one watching them.
Weird. When I put Real America’s I put it in the search, it didn’t come up. (The Real McCoys did and ew, something called Real Husbands of Hollywood as well as a bunch of other stuff.)
But when I went to Live TV, there it was under “Recommended for You.” So, I have it on my go-to list now. Thanks!
DirecTV is dying a slow death.
Thanks for the tip.
I think that is a channel the Mrs put on on our APP selection.
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