Newsmax continues to build its presence on a national level, with the conservative media company announcing today it has signed a deal with Altice USA to launch its 24/7 cable news channel, Newsmax TV to Optimum and Suddenlink customers nationwide.
Newsmax will initially launch in the Expanded Basic package to Altice USA’s Optimum customers in the New York City metropolitan area and within one year on its Suddenlink systems.
“Altice USA is one of the most influential cable operators in the nation, and we’re proud they chose to make Newsmax part of their line-up,” said Newsmax Media CEO Chris Ruddy, who happens to be a close ally of President Trump.
Based on Boca Raton, Fla., Newsmax TV is currently available in 65 million U.S. homes, and is carried by all major MVPDs, including DirecTV, Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Verizon FIOS, AT&T U-verse, Dish, Sling, TMO/Layer 3, plus more than two dozen other cable systems.
Newsmax expects to reach as many as 80 million homes by the end of 2019.
The channel is already home to 12 original hours of news and content each day, and gives viewers the opportunity to engage in the shows via call-ins, Skype and social media video, and live chat feeds. The channel also provides practical health, finance, and lifestyle segments, as well as news docs during overnights and weekends.
Last April, Ruddy hired veteran TV news executive Michael Clemente, previously of Fox News and ABC News, to run the channel.
Ruddy has not been afraid to speak out against other conservative media outlets. In November 2017, the Newsmax Media chief told Politico that he had been taken aback by the unwillingness for Fox News’s hosts to criticize the president, while saying there is still room in the conservative media ecosystem for a network like Newsmax.
“My view is we’re not challenging Fox, we’re just adding to the diversity of the marketplace,” Ruddy said at the time. “Tucker, Laura and Hannity, that’s going to be a very predictable lineup largely. My view would be more independent voices. I think in the long run this is better for conservatives, it’s better for President Trump.”