- DirecTV says it has reached a deal with Newsmax to bring back the right wing cable TV channel.
- The satellite TV provider and Newsmax are in a month-long dispute.
- DirecTV said it stemmed from financial differences between the two.
DirecTV said Wednesday it has reached a deal with Newsmax Media to bring the right wing network back to its satellite-TV and streaming packages.
DirecTV has not carried Newsmax on its services since late January, when carriage negotiations between the two companies broke down. Newsmax has it said to be earlier at the heart of the dispute is “political discrimination,” which some politicians have implicated along the way, while DirecTV says it stems from economic differences.
Newsmax will return to DirecTV packages at no additional cost. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The TV network, run by CEO Christopher Ruddy, is pushing to receive fees. At first, DirecTV carried the network without paying fees and Newsmax relied on advertising revenue, which is common for new TV channels.
“Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservatives,” Ruddy said in a statement, adding DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago.
Throughout the public dispute, DirecTV said blackouts are a common occurrence in the pay-TV industry, and consumers are often “caught in the middle.”
“This resolution with Newsmax, which resolves an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a broad range of programming and perspectives to our customers,” said Bill Morrow, CEO of DirecTV, in a statement.
Pay-TV providers like DirecTV have been hemorrhaging customers in recent years due to the rise of streaming services. While negotiations between pay-TV distributors and TV channels have long been tense, such discussions have become increasingly fraught. Higher fees at TV networks often mean higher pay-TV package prices, accelerating the exodus of customers.
