Newsmax Triumphant — DirecTV Relents, Signs Conservative Network

DIRECTV and Newsmax Media, Inc. jointly announced Wednesday that after the controversial move to drop the conservative news outlet, an agreement has been reached that will return Newsmax to DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and U-verse beginning March 23rd.

NewsMax executives engaged in a broad campaign to bring DirecTV to the table, accusing the company of political bias according to The Hill.

The very public dispute between the conservative news outlet and the ubiquitous satellite provider garnered national headlines in January and even drew the attention of former President Donald Trump and prominent Congressional Republicans.

TULSI GABBARD BLASTS AT&T-DIRECTV AFTER THEY MAKE MOVE TO STOP BROADCASTING CONSERVATIVE NEWS GIANT NEWSMAX

As previously reported by DC Enquirer, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told Newsmax’s “Spicer & Co.” hosts Sean Spicer and Lyndsay Keith on January 30th that he found the deplatforming of Newsmax by DirecTV’s parent company AT&T “very concerning”

“It really comes down to a free speech matter, and Newsmax should never be punished simply because they’re a conservative news outlet,” McCarthy said.

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

In a statement released announcing the agreement Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said,

“Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DIRECTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones. As a standalone company, DIRECTV gave 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.”

Bill Morrow, Chief Executive Officer for DIRECTV 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 all 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.”

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) released a statement on Twitter congratulating the network for their return.

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

He wrote, “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. 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.”

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