It’s official. Newsmax has been blacked out on DIRECTV. Although there is still guide information in the guide, in place of live programming, you will see the following slide:
DIRECTV’s site detailing channel blackouts, tvpromise.com, has this statement:
We’ve always delivered Newsmax to our national base of satellite and IPTV customers at no cost to the programmer or our customers, ultimately offering Newsmax the ability to generate considerable advertising revenue at no cost.
We’ve made clear to Newsmax over the past several months that we’d like to continue offering their content, however, the network is now demanding significant fees we would have to pass on to our broad customer base. That is not an option.
Our customers can continue to watch for free via NewsmaxTV.com, YouTube.com and on multiple streaming platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Google Play. We continually evaluate new content to provide to our customers, and given this situation, expect to introduce new programming of significant interest.
For its part, Newsmax has leveled charges of censorship at DIRECTV. Their full statement can be found here. Here’s an excerpt of what they have said:
Despite Newsmax being the 4th highest-rated cable news channel in the nation, a top 20 cable news channel overall, and watched by 25 million Americans on cable alone, according to Nielsen, DirecTV said it was taking the step as a “cost-cutting” measure and would never pay Newsmax a cable license fee.
The real reason?
First of all, anyone — including members of the government — who claims to have all the information here is simply wrong. There’s only one fact which is known to the public, which is that the carriage contract between DIRECTV and Newsmax expired at midnight on January 24, 2023. It’s normal practice for DIRECTV to black out a channel if there is no carriage contract. In fact, it’s normally something that the channel’s owners demand.
Anything else, including claims of censorship or conspiracy, is yet to be proven in the public arena and isn’t likely to be commented on by representatives of either side’s legal team. Again, this is normal for this kind of process and unfortunately channel blackouts do happen. The fact that this one occurred on a conservative-leaning channel doesn’t necessarily mean that there is some nefarious purpose at work here.
Will Newsmax return?
It’s not known whether or not Newsmax will return to DIRECTV. Unfortunately, DIRECTV is always under pressure to reduce costs, especially in these days of shrinking subscriber numbers. Most of the time it’s very hard to pass along increased costs to the public. While the yearly increase has become a tradition at DIRECTV and other pay-TV providers, at least on DIRECTV’s side there is a lot of pressure to keep prices low to retain customers.
Typically, if there is a good-faith attempt to sign a new contract, channel blackouts last a week or so. However, there have been cases in the past where it’s been impossible to reach a good agreement. In cases like that, the channel is permanently removed.
As I said, from where I’m sitting, I see no ulterior motive, this is all standard practice.
How can you see Newsmax in the meantime?
Newsmax streams for free in several places. NewsmaxTV.com has a live stream, as does YouTube. There are apps available for several streaming devices. If you have some sort of internet access, you’ll be able to get Newsmax for free.
Really, and I’m speculating here, that may be part of DIRECTV’s decision. If they’re being asked to pay carriage fees, they might be balking since the same content goes straight to the customer for free. As I said, I don’t know for sure. No one outside the legal teams knows for sure.
DIRECTV is still a great value
With or without Newsmax, DIRECTV is still a great value. It’s full of news and opinion programming, the best live entertainment, and more. You’ll get the only live 4K channels on pay-TV. There’s also solid DVR hardware and the lowest power consumption of any service. Yes, it’s true that the service has fewer subscribers now. That doesn’t mean there’s anything worse about it.
In fact, if you want to upgrade your DIRECTV package, there’s never been a better time. The incentives are really awesome and it’s easier than ever. Just call the experts at Signal Connect. We’re here to help you during East Coast business hours at 888-233-7563. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you quickly!
