Newsmax Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Fox News Alleging Anti-Competitive Practices
Newsmax has initiated legal action against Fox News, accusing the network of employing exclusionary tactics to suppress competition in the conservative media landscape.
Newsmax has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News, alleging that the network engaged in exclusionary practices to maintain its dominance in the conservative media market. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, claims that Fox coerced television distributors into limiting Newsmax's reach and pressured guests to avoid appearing on the rival network.
The complaint also accuses Fox of imposing financial penalties on distributors that carried Newsmax by requiring them to include less popular Fox channels in their packages, thereby increasing costs. Additionally, Newsmax alleges that Fox hired private investigators to scrutinize its executives and orchestrated online smear campaigns to damage the company's reputation.
In response, Fox News stated, "Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can't attract viewers."
Newsmax contends that these alleged tactics have stifled its growth and limited consumer choice in conservative news outlets. The company is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court order to halt Fox's purported anti-competitive behavior.
The lawsuit follows previous legal challenges faced by both networks. In 2023, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million over false claims related to the 2020 election. Newsmax has also settled defamation suits with Dominion and Smartmatic over similar allegations.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2020.
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