Fox News Has Millions More Viewers Than Any Rival. Did It Play Hardball to Get There?

Newsmax filed a lawsuit claiming that the Lachlan Murdoch-run news giant blocks competitors by coercing pay TV operators, threatening steep financial penalties if they add Newsmax.Newsmax‘s spat with Fox over right-leaning viewers erupted into a high-stakes clash on Wednesday when the upstart right-wing cable news channel sued the legacy media outfit for allegedly violating antitrust laws, opening another front in the battle over the legality of tying and bundling. In a lawsuit filed in Florida federal court, Newsmax alleges that Fox leverages its control of must-have channels to strongarm distributors into unfair terms. It points to a “coordinated, behind-the-scenes campaign”...