Newsmax

Newsmax, founded by Christopher Ruddy in 1998, is an American media company that operates a cable news channel, a website, and a monthly print magazine. The outlet has been described as conservative, right-wing, and far-right. Newsmax TV launched in June 2014 on DirecTV and Dish Network, reaching 35 million satellite subscribers. By 2019, the network claimed carriage to about 70 million households via cable. As of April 2025, its average weekly audience is roughly 319,000 people. The channel broadcasts from a New York studio on Manhattan's East Side, with additional headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, and Washington, D.C. In October 2023, Newsmax began broadcasting in the United Kingdom through Freeview Connect.

Ruddy has positioned Newsmax as a direct competitor to Fox News, hiring former Fox News hosts Rob Schmitt, Greg Kelly, Bob Sellers, and Heather Childers. The Washington Post called Newsmax "a landing spot for cable news personalities in need of a new home," noting it aired Mark Halperin and Bill O'Reilly after they left other networks amid sexual harassment allegations. The New York Times described the website as a "potent force in conservative politics."

Following the 2020 presidential election, Newsmax broadcast conspiracy theories from President Donald Trump and his campaign alleging voter fraud. Ruddy stated, "We have an editorial policy of being supportive of the president and his policies." A month after the election, Newsmax recognized Joe Biden as president-elect. In 2021, the network apologized and retracted the fraud claims. That same year, Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic sued Newsmax for promoting false statements about election fraud. Newsmax settled Smartmatic's lawsuit in September 2024 for $40 million. In April 2025, a judge ruled Newsmax made false and defamatory statements against Dominion; four months later, Newsmax settled that lawsuit for $67 million. The company went public in March 2025.[edit]