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Newsmax Sues Fox News Over Alleged Antitrust Violations

By  |  September 3, 2025

Newsmax has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Fox News, alleging the network has long relied on exclusionary tactics to limit competition among conservative media outlets, according to Axios.

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    The suit, lodged Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, claims Fox pressured pay-TV providers into contracts that block rivals like Newsmax from gaining wide distribution. Per Axios, Newsmax argues this has slowed its ability to grow on major digital platforms such as Hulu, Sling, and Fubo.

    In its complaint, Newsmax stated that Fox “abused its dominance in the right-leaning pay TV news market for years by coercing distributors into unfair carriage agreements designed to exclude or marginalize competitors like Newsmax.” The filing further accuses Fox of pressuring guests not to appear on its programs, conducting smear campaigns online, and hiring private investigators to undermine its leadership.

    Fox dismissed the lawsuit, countering that “Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can’t attract viewers.”

    Read more: Disney-Fubo Deal Sparks Antitrust Concerns from DirecTV, Dish, and EchoStar

    Axios reports that Newsmax argues these practices don’t just harm its own business but also restrict consumer choice. “By keeping rivals off affordable distribution packages, Fox has denied millions of Americans the diversity of viewpoints that a healthy marketplace of ideas requires,” the company said.

    The lawsuit also points to Fox’s reaction after the 2020 election, noting executives were reportedly concerned about Newsmax’s ratings growth at the time. Newsmax is seeking damages as well as court orders preventing Fox from continuing such contracts, along with measures to restore competition in conservative cable news.

    Source: Axios