DirecTV customers who watch One America News will soon have to find a new way to view the ultra-right-wing network. The satellite TV company announced Friday that it will be parting ways with OAN, reports CBS News, picking up on the development first reported by Bloomberg. “We informed [OAN parent company] Herring Networks that, following a routine internal review, we do not plan to enter into a new contract when our current agreement expires,” a DirecTV spokesperson says in a statement.
The company will continue to air OAN until the contract expires in early April. The network will still be available via Verizon Fios and a handful of other smaller distributors, but the Washington Post notes the end of the relationship between DirecTV and OAN will likely be “a big financial loss for the fringe network.” Reuters reports that, according to 2020 testimony from an OAN accountant, 90% of the network’s revenue was derived from a contract with AT&T-owned TV platforms, including DirecTV.
CNN Business notes the network has pushed conspiracy theories and “outright lies” on various issues, including regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 election, and that OAN became a favorite of former President Trump for promoting his own misinformation and for airing his rallies without commercial breaks. In 2020, YouTube temporarily suspended OAN’s account for COVID-19 misinformation, and the network has also faced recent lawsuits over the election, including a complaint from Dominion Voting Systems claiming the network had defamed it.