With distributors tightening up their bundles, it’s not the easiest time to strike carriage deals. But Newsmax has proved it’s the little engine that can, ticking off deals with a host of major distributors. It most recently inked Altice USA, but it’s also secured carriage on Comcast, Charter, DISH and a host of others. The conservative-leaning news channel headed by Trump confidant Chris Ruddy expects to reach as many as 80 million traditional pay TV homes by the end of the year. That’s an especially impressive feat considering it didn’t ramp up its carriage talks until around 2016.
