One America News, the far-right cable channel that nearly vanished from pay-TV after amplifying Donald Trump’s 2020 election-fraud claims, is set to return to millions of American households through a new carriage deal with YouTube TV.
OAN parent company Herring Networks announced Wednesday that it had signed a multi-year agreement with the Google-owned streaming service to carry both OAN and its companion lifestyle network, A Wealth of Entertainment, the Independent reported. The channels are expected to launch in YouTube TV’s base package lineup by the end of 2025.
“With the addition of OAN and AWE, YouTube TV viewers will enjoy 16 hours of live, breaking news coverage each weekday on OAN, as well as AWE’s signature mix of travel, adventure, lifestyle, and family entertainment programming,” Herring Networks said in a statement.
The deal marks a dramatic reversal of fortune for OAN, which lost nearly all of its distribution in 2022 after DirecTV, its largest carrier, dropped the channel amid billion-dollar defamation lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. Verizon soon followed, leaving the network with virtually no major pay-TV partners.
OAN’s parent company has since settled most of its legal battles, including suits filed by Smartmatic, a former Dominion executive, and several Georgia election workers. Dominion’s case remains active, though Newsmax, another Trump-aligned outlet, recently settled with the voting technology company for $67 million.
OAN has cultivated renewed visibility under the second Trump administration. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a close Trump ally, was hired in January as a primetime host; Trump adviser Kari Lake also announced a deal this spring for OAN to provide news content to Voice of America, as the White House seeks to revamp the federally funded broadcaster.
Richard Levine, OAN and AWE’s president of distribution, said the partnership with YouTube TV “makes it easier than ever for viewers nationwide to connect with our networks — from in-depth news reporting to inspiring entertainment.”
Justin Connolly, YouTube’s global head of media, said the deal provides OAN “access to our growing audience, while also giving our subscribers even more choice when it comes to news and entertainment.”
YouTube TV recently became the country’s largest pay-TV provider, surpassing Disney’s traditional cable bundle with 9.4 million subscribers and an 11.6% share of U.S. TV usage, according to Nielsen.
The timing of the OAN announcement coincides with tense negotiations between Google and Fox over a new carriage agreement, a dispute that could result in Fox News, Fox Sports and Fox Business being pulled from YouTube TV.
The OAN agreement also underscores YouTube’s evolving stance toward the network. In 2020, the video platform suspended OAN for violating its COVID-19 misinformation policy and stripped it of ad revenue. OAN was readmitted to YouTube’s partner program last year, restoring its ability to monetize videos.
