Newsmax Adds U-verse, Returns to DirecTV

Conservative cable and online channel Newsmax TV has been picked up by AT&T's U-verse video platform, as well as returning to AT&T's now co-owned DirecTV as part of the latter’s news bundle.

That was effective as of June 30.

“With our launch on DIRECTV and U-verse, Newsmax TV has the opportunity to serve more viewers,” said Newsmax Media CEO Christopher Ruddy. “Newsmax TV has a unique audience of Americans seeking news they can’t get from other major networks.”

The channel features news and talk, including TV simulcasts of conservative radio hosts (Joe Walsh, Howie Carr and others).

A spokesman for Newsmax TV says the additions will make it available in nearly 40 million homes. He also said it was "indicative of the increased value of an independent conservative news service."

That comes as the White House attacks some mainstream news outlets they view as liberal tools in a Democratic campaign to delegitimize the president but gives props to Fox News and credibility to undercover video effort Project Veritas.

(Photo via Bill Bradford's Flickr. Image taken on March 4, 2016 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 9x16 aspect ratio.)

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.