In March 2022 OAN filed a lawsuit seeking $1 billion in damages from DIRECTV and its majority owner, AT&T. Lawyers for OAN said that the two media companies used “unchecked influence and power” to “unlawfully destroy an independent, family-run business and impede the right of American television viewers to watch the news media channels and programs of their choice.”
OAN also alleges that DirecTV is participating in a “coordinated, extremely well-financed political scheme to take down OAN CEO Robert Herring and unlawfully destroy his ability to operate in the media business.” The relationship between the news network and DIRECTV has been complicated since a Reuters investigation last fall found that OAN was originally the idea of AT&T executives
Court records show that 90% of OAN’s revenue is generated from AT&T/DirecTV deals.
Also in March, Republican attorneys general in six states sent a letter to DirecTV, saying the company was bowing to pressure from “powerful left-wing voices.” President Donald Trump has called for a boycott of DirecTV if it drops OAN.
