DirecTV drops One America News Network to a conservative channel

DirecTV said on Friday that it will drop the far-right channel One America News Network from the service when the contract expires, in a blow to the conservative news network.

The OAN, which became prominent among former President Donald Trump’s administration, has been criticized for spreading conspiracy theories about the Covid pandemic and the 2020 election.

“We informed Herring Networks that, following a routine internal review, we do not plan to enter into a new contract when our current agreement expires,” a DirecTV spokesman told Reuters in an email.

AT&T Inc, the mother of DirecTV, entered into an agreement with Herring Networks Inc in 201[ads1]7, which included OAN and a small-scale lifestyle channel, AWE. DirecTV began carrying the networks in April of that year.

OAN and Herring Networks could not be immediately reached for comment outside of business hours.

AT&T has been a crucial source of funding for OAN, and has provided tens of millions of dollars in revenue, a Reuters survey found last year. Ninety percent of OAN’s revenue came from a contract with AT & T-owned TV platforms, including DirecTV, according to sworn testimony from an 2020 OAN accountant.

DirecTV’s contract expires in early April, according to Bloomberg News, which previously reported the development.