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Newsmax, DirecTV Work Out Deal To Bring Back Conservative Network

   DailyWire.com
In this photo illustration, the Newsmax logo seen displayed on a smartphone
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

DirecTV’s 13 million customers can once again turn the channel to Newsmax after the conservative network worked out a deal with the TV giant.

Newsmax, which claims to reach 25 million Americans each week, was removed by DirecTV in January and said it was targeted by the cable company because of its Right-wing political leanings. DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T, argued that it dropped Newsmax simply due to failed carriage negotiations, but then announced on Wednesday that the companies finally reached an agreement, CNBC reported.

“This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to our customers,” DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, who previously accused DirecTV of “political discrimination and censorship,” said he was grateful for the new deal with the cable company that helped launch the network in 2014.

“Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Ruddy said. “As a standalone company, DirecTV helped give 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.”

After Newsmax said that it had been dropped by DirecTV in January, Republican senators penned a letter, asking DirecTV to explain the decision that “deeply disturbed” them. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote that DirecTV’s decision to drop Newsmax came as “collusion between Big Tech companies and Democrat officials” was being revealed. Through that collusion, conservative points of view were marked as “misinformation” and censored, the senators argued.

“The silencing of conservative speech at the request of government officials is a direct assault on free speech and a threat to democracy,” the letter said.

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Those on the Right alleged that DirecTV was attempting to silence conservative speech by dropping Newsmax and pointed to the cable company’s decision last spring to axe One America News Network, another Right-wing news channel. DirecTV informed OAN that it would not renew its contract with the network after DirecTV faced pressure from some on the Left to drop OAN because they believed it was spreading “misinformation” regarding COVID and the 2020 presidential election.

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