One America News Network (OAN), an ultra-conservative, conspiratorial US channel that backs former US President Donald Trump, has decided not to extend its contract with DirecTV.
“We informed (OAN owner) Herring Networks that, following a routine internal review, we do not plan to enter into a new contract when our current agreement expires,” a spokesman for DirecTV told AFP Friday.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the contract is set to end in April. DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T, did not disclose any other information on its decision.
OAN is one of the new ultra-conservative players in television news, attempting to eat into Fox News’ market share.
They, like Newsmax and Real America’s Voice, refused to acknowledge Donald Trump’s loss in the November 2020 presidential election, instead relaying unfounded conspiracy theories about electoral fraud spread by Trump and his supporters.
For example, in mid-November 2020, OAN host Christina Bobb accused the Democratic Party of plotting a “coup” against Trump.
Trump himself has encouraged his fans to tune in to OAN and Newsmax, and a growing number of prominent Republicans are appearing on the stations.
According to US media, OAN’s audience grew as a result of the election, but DirecTV’s move is a major setback because it is the channel’s largest distributor. A request for comment from AFP was not immediately returned by OAN.
