Verizon Fios is slated to drop One America News Network (OAN) from its channel lineup July 31 after failing to reach a contractual agreement.
Verizon, the largest television subscription platform, will no longer have rights to OAN due to disagreements over “economic considerations,” The Hill reported Thursday. The company said the news network did not agree to “fair terms.”
“Our negotiation with OAN has been a typical, business as usual carriage negotiation like those that routinely happen between content distributors and content providers,” Verizon told The Hill. “Our company has long advocated for providing customers with the ability to choose what content they want to watch, and our Fios TV platform offers a wide and diverse choice of programming options, including a la carte options, that strive to meet our millions of customers’ various content needs and preferences.”
Liberal media watchdog group Media Matters, along with other organizations, reportedly pushed Verizon not to renew a contract with OAN. The organization published a piece titled, “Red Herring: Verizon shouldn’t capitulate to OAN’s last-ditch attacks as its contract expires,” claiming the network sparks vicious attacks against the LGBTQ community.
One America News, the strident right-wing cable channel, may soon be fighting for its survival after being dropped by another major cable operator. https://t.co/IeKhYIzXAL
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 22, 2022
OAN reportedly criticized Verizon for “silencing conservative voices” and “engaging in censorship” as the contract’s expiration date neared. Fios said July 15 viewers will have to pay to watch OAN and Herring’s A Wealth of Entertainment, suggesting they will only be available through premium subscription.
DirecTV refused to renew its contract with OAN’s owner, Herring Networks Inc., in January. The distributor made up 90% of the network’s revenue. (RELATED: Rand Paul Drops DirecTV Subscription Over Conservative Censorship)
Sixteen media-justice and human rights organizations sent a letter to chief executive officers of AT&T and DirecTV to end their business dealings with the network in order to ensure their customers do not “subsidize hate and disinformation.” The organizations accused OAN of undermining democracy with “dangerous and hateful messages” and promoting disinformation on COVID-19.
Shortly after the letter’s release, AT&T removed the network from its lineup in January.