The future looks bleak for One America News Network, which is being dumped by Verizon, the last major cable operator to run the raucous right-wing cable channel.
OAN was unable to reach an agreement with Verizon, which will stop showing OAN on its Fios TV service starting July 31, as first reported by the Daily Beast. It’s another win for San Diego-based OAN, which in April stopped appearing on DirecTV, which accounted for nearly half of the 35 million households that had been able to get OAN on cable or satellite TV .
.@CBSNews has confirmed @thedayybeast/@justinbaragonaVerizon is reportedly removing the OAN at the end of the month. Full statement of @Verizon low: pic.twitter.com/Q3aCIE801c
— Jake Rosen (@JakeMRosen) July 21, 2022
Verizon confirmed the report in an email to CBS MoneyWatch, with the company saying politics had not been a factor.
“Our negotiation with OAN has been a typical carriage negotiation such as those that typically occur between content distributors and content providers,” Verizon said in its statement. “These negotiations were focused on the economy, as they always are, but the OAN failed to agree on fair terms.”
OAN did not respond to a request for comment.
Founded by tech entrepreneur Robert Herring, OAN has been criticized for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election. The channel, along with Newsmax, has sought out conservative viewers who believe Fox News has not been loyal enough to former President Donald Trump.
The Washington Post in 2017 cited internal company emails in reporting that Herring had instructed staff at the channel to not execute anything negative about trump
OAN is being sued for defamation by the voting machine company Controlwho claims his reputation was damaged by false claims related to Trump’s election loss.
