Newsmax Broadcasting, LLC, announced on Wednesday that it has filed a lawsuit against the Fox Corporation and Fox News Network, LLC. The lawsuit is over allegations that Fox unfairly forced distributors into agreements aimed at excluding other right-wing networks like Newsmax and violated antitrust laws in the process.
The lawsuit
The complaint, filed in a Florida federal court, accuses Fox of “exclusionary tactics” such as preventing coverage providers from carrying news from other conservative news channels. It also claims that distributors who choose to carry Newsmax are subject to financial penalties from Fox. Newsmax also accuses the network of telling guests not to appear on Newsmax, as well as “online smear campaigns” and the use of private investigators to target Newsmax executives in order to harm the company’s reputation.
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As a result of these tactics, Newsmax alleges Fox has restricted its growth as well as the expansion of other right-leaning news networks and essentially monopolized the market.
Newsmax CEO issues statement
“Fox News has acted as a gatekeeper, silencing emerging voices and overcharging customers,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a statement. “Our lawsuit seeks not only justice for Newsmax, but also to protect the rights of viewers who deserve choice and fair pricing.”
The lawsuit claims that such exclusionary practices prevented it from being carried on Fubo’s sports and entertainment package, Sling TV’s basic plans and other platforms.
The Fox News competitor is seeking three times the amount of damages it claims to have experienced as a result of the alleged practices, but an exact number has not been disclosed. The company is also seeking to block Fox “from continuing exclusionary contracts and monopolistic practices” as well as a court ruling finding Fox’s actions illegal under federal and state antitrust rules.
Fox News responds
“Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can’t attract viewers,” a Fox News spokesperson said in response to the lawsuit.
For the last two decades, Fox News has rested atop the cable news network ratings. It has at times surpassed some broadcast viewership, according to AdWeek.
Although Newsmax did see growth in viewership following the 2020 election, it has failed to sustain that surge in viewership. Fox News brought in an average of 2.633 million primetime viewers compared to Newsmax’s 196,000, in Q2 2025, as reported by AdWeek.
