One America News (OAN) Network’s largest distributor, DirecTV, announced Friday that it will not renew its contract with the outlet, Bloomberg reported.
In an email statement to Bloomberg, DirecTV spokesperson said that “following a routine internal review,” the decision was made to not enter a new contract with Herring Networks Inc., OAN’s owner, once the current contract ends in April. DirecTV made up 90% of the network’s revenue, according to Reuters.
OAN will continue to be provided through Verizon FiOS and various other smaller national pay-TV providers, including KlowdTV and Vidgo, per its website.
The decision follows a concerted campaign from pro-censorship activists and media companies to remove OAN from DirecTV. 16 organizations, including GLAAD, Free Press, and Common Cause, came together to draft a letter to demand DirecTV drop OAN and AT&T sever all ties with the platform in November.
“We are deeply disturbed to learn that AT&T helped establish and fund OAN, a purveyor of racial bigotry, conspiracy theories and calls for anti-democratic violence that endanger lives,” the letter reads.
The pro-censorship letter continues to outline the reasons AT&T and DirecTV should reconsider their contract with OAN, claiming their work with the network contradicts AT&T’s commitment to equality and racial justice.
“The company cannot continue to talk out of both sides of its mouth. It cannot speak to promoting values of equality and justice 11 while also funding a channel spreading conspiracy theories and applauding insurrection,” the letter states.
Judd Legume, author of Popular Information on Substack, wrote an article arguing that AT&T props up “right-wing extremists,” and focused on the company’s support of OAN. Legum contacted AT&T about their support of the network, to which they responded that they do not have control over the channel’s editorial content.
The left-wing media outlet Mother Jones ran a story in June of 2020 describing OAN employees as “propagandists” and “conspiracy theorists.”
Former President Donald Trump went after AT&T, urging his supporters to boycott their products at a rally in Florence, Arizona on Saturday. (RELATED: Voting Machine Company Sues OANN And Newsmax Over 2020 Election Coverage)
“Maybe what we should do is not use AT&T,” Trump said to a cheering crowd.
Donald Trump threatened a boycott of AT&T after the largest satellite provider in the U.S. said it will drop One America News, a move that could financially cripple the TV network known for fueling conspiracy theories about the 2020 election pic.twitter.com/AzRtMGQlSK
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 16, 2022
“All I can tell you is the people that are telling the truth in America like One America News are being threatened,” Trump continued, according to The Times of San Diego. The owners of OAN attended the rally.
OAN was sued alongside Newsmax by voting technology companies Dominion and Smartmatic for defamation following their coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
DirecTV, owned by both AT&T Inc. and TPG Capital, did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.