What happened to Newsmax on DirectTV?

Fox News is typically the TV network that comes to mind when considering popular conservative news channels. However, amidst Donald Trump’s accusations of widespread voter fraud in 2020, fellow right-wing news channel Newsmax joined the ranks of preferred news networks after its willingness to promote Trump’s messaging led to an enormous rating increase. 

Since then, Newsmax has remained a popular choice for ring-wing viewers and has been a staple for subscribers of DirectTV and Dish. However, on Jan. 26 that all changed when DirectTV announced it would be dropping the network and replacing it with another. 

Is Newsmax still on DirectTV?

On Jan. 26, DirectTV officially dropped Newsmax from its channel lineup, adding it to the growing list of conservative news networks it has canceled in the last year. The channel will be removed from DirecTV’s satellite lineup at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31, according to Washington Examiner. 

According to DirectTV, however, Newsmax’s departure wasn’t for a lack of trying. The cable provider said in a statement that it wanted to “continue to offer the network,” but because Newsmax sought significant carriage fees, it would involve adding “significantly higher costs that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base,” according to CNN. 

This marks the second removal of a major conservative news channel in the last year, with One America News being dropped by DirectTV in Feb. 2022. In an official statement, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy called DirectTV’s decision “a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax. The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T’s DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed.”

DirectTV confirmed it will replace Newsmax with The First, a conservative opinion and commentary network that was created in 2019. Those who wish to continue watching Newsmax can do so for free on the network’s website, YouTube channel, and on streaming platforms like Roku, Google Play, and Amazon Fire TV.