Verizon Becomes Last Big TV Provider to Drop Right-Wing Channel One America News
OAN was criticized for spouting misinformation about COVID and the 2020 election. But Verizon says it's dropping OAN for "economics."
One America Network is being dropped from Verizon on July 31, 2022.
Verizon said Thursday it will drop the far right-wing One America News channel from its TV offerings, becoming the last major TV provider to do so and essentially banishing it from the airwaves. OAN, which was beloved by former President Donald Trump, came under fire for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Verizon said OAN will be removed from its Fios TV lineups on July 31 after failing to reach a carriage deal with the channel.
"These negotiations were focused on economics, as they always are, but OAN failed to agree to fair terms," a Verizon spokesperson said in a statement.
"Our company has long advocated for providing customers with the ability to choose what content they want to watch, and our Fios TV platform offers a wide and diverse choice of programming options, including a la carte options, that strive to meet our millions of customers' various content needs and preferences."
Satellite network DirecTV declined to keep OAN in its lineup in January but didn't give a reason for ending its contract with the channel. OAN was removed from DirecTV's lineup in April.
After July 31, the only cable provider still offering OAN will be Alaska-based General Communications, which serves a little over 100,000 households, according to The Daily Beast, which reported the story earlier.