Nearly two months after it was dropped by DirecTV and launched a political firestorm, Newsmax is back on the pay-TV distributor’s line-up. The two companies came to terms on a new carriage deal that sees Newsmax returning to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-verse starting Thursday. (TVNewser)
The network was pulled after the previous agreement had expired Jan. 25, kicking off an ugly two-month battle that featured Newsmax and its GOP supporters accusing DirecTV and its corporate partners of colluding with Democrats to silence conservative speech. (The Daily Beast)
DirecTV emphasized in a statement that the dispute that led to dropping Newsmax was always entirely financial and “never about limiting conservative voices.” Newsmax agreed in its own statement, after initially suggesting its removal was censorship, a view that was echoed by many prominent conservative voices. (AP)
DirecTV said on Wednesday its new deal with Newsmax would come at no additional cost to its subscribers, suggesting Newsmax did not have its demand on rate increases met, though terms of the deal were not disclosed by either side. (The Hill)
The TV network, run by CEO Christopher Ruddy, had been pushing to receive fees. Initially, DirecTV carried the network without paying fees and Newsmax relied on advertising revenue, which is typically the case for new TV channels. (CNBC)