Conservative TV outlet Newsmax is taking on Fox News in court, accusing its much larger rival of unfairly shutting out competition. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Florida, claims Fox
News has used its size and influence to pressure cable providers and keep smaller right-leaning networks—like Newsmax—off the air.
Fox News, long the dominant player in conservative media and valued at nearly $26 billion, fired back quickly. A spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit as nothing more than sour grapes, saying Newsmax is trying to “chase headlines” instead of winning viewers.
Newsmax, which has a market value of around $1.8 billion, sees things differently. In its antitrust complaint, the network accuses Fox of signing exclusive content deals designed to block rivals, punishing cable providers that pick up competing channels, and even intimidating guests to prevent them from appearing on other conservative platforms. The suit also alleges Fox went as far as hiring private investigators to dig into Newsmax executives.
“Fox may have profited from exclusionary contracts and intimidation tactics for years, but those days are over,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare Fox’s tactics illegal, ban such deals going forward, and award damages to Newsmax.
This legal fight comes as both networks carry baggage from past election-related lawsuits. After the 2020 presidential race, Newsmax settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $67 million over false claims about election rigging. Fox News paid an even steeper price, agreeing to a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion in a separate case.
For now, the battle lines in conservative media are clear: Newsmax is betting a courtroom fight can loosen Fox’s grip on the right-wing news market. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
