'Identified as a threat': Newsmax sues Fox News for blocking its viewers

The right-wing Newsmax network has filed an antitrust lawsuit against competitor Fox News alleging the media outlet maintained its dominance through an unlawful scheme.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in a federal court in Florida also names Fox Corporation as a defendant, alleging the network crushed competitors through an “exclusionary scheme" in violation of antitrust laws, Newsmax reported.

"Fox News, described in the complaint as a 'must-have' channel for distributors, leverages its market power to impose restrictions that harm consumers, stifle competition, and drive up costs across the pay TV ecosystem," the network reported.

The suit alleges that Fox “employs at least three anticompetitive means to exclude competing providers of right-leaning video content from the market.”

Those measures include “explicit or tacit” provisions on distributors not to carry Newsmax or other right-leaning news competitors, which the suit alleges restricted options and raised prices for viewers.

"Newsmax's action seeks damages under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, the Florida Antitrust Act, and the Florida Deceptive & Unfair Trade Practices Act," the network announced. "Under federal law, any damages awarded in this case will be trebled – meaning Fox faces significant financial liability if Newsmax prevails."

NPR's David Folkenflik said, "No response yet from Fox. Newsmax appears to rely on disclosures from Dominion and/or other litigation that touches on Fox's internal panic after 2020 elections. Fox identified Newsmax as a threat as it bled viewers over calling AZ for Biden Link to complaint in next post."