DirecTV’s decision to drop One America News Network puts pressure on the conservative cable outlet to replace that lost revenue, possibly by building out its online presence.
That will be a steep hill to climb. The number of people installing OAN’s app has plummeted in the past year after surging around the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Meanwhile, YouTube doesn’t promote OAN’s videos and has suspended the outlet from selling ads after it violated its policies on misinformation.
For now, OAN’s strategy appears focused on finding new distributors in the traditional cable-TV business. In a video last week, Robert Herring Sr., OAN’s founder and chief executive officer, called on viewers to pressure TV providers, like Dish Network Corp. and Charter Communications Inc., better known as Spectrum, to carry the channel. Herring didn’t promote OAN’s app as an alternative for DirecTV customers, who will soon lose the channel, but did say that “we have a lot of options.”
