(JustPatriots.com)- After speculation, cable provider DirecTV declared this week that it would remove the right-wing cable news channel Newsmax from its lineup of available channels.
DirecTV claimed that the network’s demands for rate increases as part of its negotiating package would have led to significantly higher costs that they would have to pass on to their customers amid a 47% drop in subscribers since the carrier was acquired by ATT in 2015.
According to tech reports, AT&T intends to keep integrating AI and machine learning into its field tech and customer service operations to cut costs.
Newsmax executives criticized the decision to cut the network as politically motivated. In an article from the channel criticizing the deal, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy called the decision blatant political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax.
After a Trump rally in December, former CNN host Brian Stelter noted that the event drew more than 1.5 million viewers, surpassing Fox News’ viewership that evening.
According to Nielsen, a Trump rally in Pennsylvania last September attracted an estimated 2.9 million viewers to Newsmax’s content, with more than half watching his speech on cable.
Even higher numbers were reported by Newsmax in 2021, when one rally reportedly attracted five million viewers, outpacing the major networks at the time.
Newsmax claimed in a statement that their ratings are doing incredibly well. According to the Nielsen coverage rating, which displays viewership proportionate to the number of homes where a program is available, Newsmax draws between 50% and 60% of CNN’s audience. When the streaming figures are considered, Newsmax is very close to CNN regarding audience size.
According to a 2020 report, Newsmax was on a course to dethrone Fox with its digital streaming strategy by making the channel available for free to platforms.
In addition to hiring former popular Fox News employees to join their lineup on Newsmax TV, Newsmax has made its more conservative stance a selling point to disgruntled Fox News viewers.
