DirecTV has finally turned back from its ban of conservative cable news outlet, Newsmax.
This week the service carrier announced that it had reached a new, multi-year deal with Newsmax to again reach upwards to 13 million viewers.
“Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a statement celebrating the agreement, according to The Hill. “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.”
The paper adds:
The initial disagreement between the two companies hinged on carrier fees, which under its previous deal dictated DirecTV would pay Newsmax nothing to carry the conservative channel. 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.
Still, Ruddy and top Newsmax hosts accused the cable provider of political censorship, sparking a flood of condemnation from House Republicans.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at one point earlier this year suggested he wouldn’t rule out holding congressional hearings on DirecTV’s decision to drop Newsmax, which has an audience share that is dwarfed by other leading cable news channels.
Per a statement by Bill Morrow, CEO of DiecTV.
“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,” Morrow wrote.
“Through our persistent negotiations, we reached a resolution under mutually-agreeable business terms allowing us to deliver the conservative news network at the right value – a reflection of the free market at work,” he added.
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