(RightWing.org) – Earlier this year, talks broke down between Newsmax and DirectTV, and the pay TV service lost the rights to air the program on its system on January 25, 2023, putting consumers in the middle of the dispute. However, it appears that DirecTV caved and returned Newsmax to its streaming channel lineup.
On March 22, NewsMax issued a joint statement with DirectTV announcing that the two sides resolved their carriage dispute. As a result, the news service started streaming again on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-verse the following day.
NEWSMAX is coming back to DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, and U-verse on March 23 after reaching a business agreement. Fortunately, it’s become clear that DIRECTV supports diversified perspectives, including conservative voices. See more: https://t.co/PhYvR88Xf6 pic.twitter.com/x1y4p80PHi
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) March 22, 2023
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, a personal friend of former President Donald Trump, lashed out at DirecTV in January when the dispute over renewal terms with the news service arose. He called DirecTV’s decision to remove the channel a “blatant act of political discrimination,” adding that the move was driven by “politics, not economics.”
A group of Republican senators, including Tom Cotton (AR), Ted Cruz (TX), Lindsay Graham (SC), and Mike Lee (UT), quickly dashed off an open letter to DirecTV, accusing it of bowing down to “pressure from [Biden] administration officials or Democrats in Congress.” They also accused the pay TV service of “suppressing politically disfavored speech” on behalf of “liberal Democrats.”
It appears Newsmax has changed its mind over the dispute now that the two sides have entered into a multi-year agreement, allowing consumers to view the news service’s programming without paying an additional fee. For instance, Ruddy issued a statement praising DirectTV’s support of “diverse voices, including conservative ones.” He also said the paid television service “gave Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago.”
DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow also downplayed the previous dispute, saying they are “all too common.” He called the new agreements a “reflection of the free market at work.”
RELEASE: I applaud DirecTV for bringing back Newsmax to the air.
Read my full statement here:https://t.co/t2uzAEzIls pic.twitter.com/hSTdSE576K
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) March 22, 2023
Several conservatives praised the deal, like Ted Cruz, who called Newmax’s return to DirecTV a “victory for free speech.” Likewise, Texas’ Republican Governor, Greg Abbott, hailed it as a huge win for conservative voices. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) and the National Religious Broadcasters Association also applauded the news.
Copyright 2023, RightWing.org
