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Direct TV Drops NEWSMAX as Conservative Lawmakers Protest

Caitlin Huston | The Hollywood Reporter | January 25th, 2023 |
Condensed

Conservative network NEWSMAX has been dropped from DIRECTTV as of
11:50 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

DirecTV confirmed the decision, saying the network is no longer
broadcast on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream or U-Verse, with the decision
made due to NEWSMAX’s “demands for rate increases.”

THE HEADS OF NEWSMAX ARE FIRING BACK AT THE MOVE, SAYING IT WAS
“CENSORSHIP” AGAINST THE NETWORK. “This is a blatant act of
political discrimination and censorship against NEWSMAX,”
Christopher Ruddy, CEO of NEWSMAX, said in a statement.

“The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees
from AT&T’s DirecTV, but NEWSMAX and OANN need to be
de-platformed,” Ruddy added.

This comes after Republican lawmakers wrote a letter
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to the CEO of DirecTV, as well as the CEOs of AT&T and private equity
firm TPG Capital, owners of the company, on Jan. 20 expressing concern
about the removal of NEWSMAX in light of its decision to remove One
America News, another conservative network, from its lineup last year.

“IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT DIRECTV — STILL MAJORITY-OWNED BY
AT&T AND MINORITY-OWNED AND MANAGED BY TPG CAPITAL — IS MOVING TO
DE-PLATFORM NEWSMAX BY DENYING IT CABLE FEES ON A FAIR AND EQUITABLE
BASIS,” the letter from the Congress members reads. 

The lawmakers alleged that DirecTV carries 11 “liberal” news
channels, including Vice Media, a company with which it shares several
board members and which the members of Congress allege commands higher
fees.

“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. This is extremely concerning for Members of Congress
because it suppresses political discourse and hamstrings our ability
to connect with our constituents,” the lawmakers said.

[Stop NewsMax Censorship]
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[ACTNOW, Click Here]
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“CONGRESS INTENDS TO CONDUCT EXTENSIVE OVERSIGHT ON THE EXTENT TO
WHICH HOUSE DEMOCRATS AND OFFICIALS IN FEDERAL OFFICES COLLUDED WITH
PRIVATE COMPANIES TO LIMIT, RESTRICT, AND CIRCUMVENT FIRST AMENDMENT
RIGHTS. THESE INVESTIGATIONS WILL NOT BE LIMITED TO SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPANIES,” THE LETTER READS. 

DirecTV responded to the letter Jan. 23, saying that the company had
been trying to continue carrying NEWSMAX at the same terms.

 

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