Aaron M. Sprecher via AP
The day after dropping Newsmax from its line-up after failed negotiations to renew the right-wing network’s contract, DirecTV announced The First will fill channel 349 vacated by Newsmax.
“On multiple occasions, we made it clear to Newsmax that we wanted to continue to offer the network, but ultimately Newsmax’s demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base,” DirecTV said in a statement early Wednesday after the network went off the air at midnight.
DirecTV, which previously dropped far-right One America News Network, sparked angry condemnation and accusations of ideological censorship from the right as Newsmax went off the air.
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) joined Newsmax on Thursday morning and warned that DirecTV dropping Newsmax could result in congressional hearings. “You know, it could go so far as to have their executives come to talk to us, but, and explain this to us in terms of the — both the timing and the intent,” Waltz declared. “It could go as far as having public hearings.”
DirecTV announced on Thursday, however, that Newsmax will be replaced by a right-wing commentary channel called The First — a clear attempt to counteract critics on the right.
“DIRECTV values different viewpoints and perspectives and will always work to preserve expansive choice among a wide variety of entertainment and information services to appeal to the unique tastes and interests of our diverse customer base,” said Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer at DirecTV in a statement. “As we’ve successfully done with other emerging channels, we look forward to helping The First continue to expand its audience reach, while constantly ensuring that our customers receive a strong value.”
The statement noted that The First launched originally as a streaming network and that DirecTV will be the first to bring the network into people’s homes on cable.
“The First initially launched on Paramount’s Pluto TV in October 2019 and boasts a current lineup of four primary hosts with significant followings gleaned from popular nationally syndicated radio shows and online presence,” DirecTV explained, adding:
Daily programs include the afternoon “The Dana Show,” featuring popular radio and social media personality Dana Loesch; and primetime series “The Liz Wheeler Show,” “No Spin News with Bill O’Reilly,” and “I’m Right with Jesse Kelly,” hosted by the former Marine and combat veteran.
DirecTV also boasted in its statement of having “launched Fox News’ subscription video service Fox Nation as one of its leading SVOD offerings and continues to expand Fox Nation’s reach through a free, 60-day trial to current and new customers interested in sampling its content.”
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