Newsmax Delivers Strong Growth in Q4 2025 Despite Industry Headwinds
Despite a non-election year that typically brings normalization of audience levels and advertising demand, Newsmax delivered strong growth in its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results. The company's fiscal year was marked by expansion in distribution, reinforcement of its position as the fourth highest-rated cable news network, and significant revenue increases.
According to Chris Ruddy, Chief Executive Officer of Newsmax, "Fiscal year 2025 was a defining year for Newsmax and marked our first year as a public company. While many legacy television companies face challenges in a non-election year when audience levels, engagement, and advertising demand typically normalize across the industry, Newsmax delivered strong growth and performed at the high end of our guidance range."
The company's multi-platform strategy was highlighted by Darryle Burnham, Chief Financial Officer, as key to its success. "We're not just a cable channel," he noted. "We're not just a streaming FAST channel. We're not just a streaming plus service. We're all of these things and much more." This approach allows Newsmax to meet audiences wherever they are and leverage its expanded distribution to further monetize engagement across multiple channels.
Newsmax's revenue increased 10.7% to $189.3 million for the full year, with broadcast revenue growing 17.3%. Affiliate fees specifically were up a solid 14.9%, driven by growth across advertising, affiliate fees, subscriptions, and licensing. The company continues to see itself as a high-growth business, despite industry trends of contraction.
Chris Ruddy emphasized the strength of Newsmax's diversified revenue model, saying "We continue to see Newsmax as a high growth company. At a time when many media businesses are contracting, our growth stands out, and we expect that momentum to continue into 2026." He also highlighted the importance of the company's international licensing growth, which expects continued growth throughout the year.
The company made significant strides in expanding its distribution footprint, deepening domestic MVPD carriage agreements and relationships while accelerating international growth. Newsmax is now available in more than 100 countries by end of year. In the fourth quarter alone, they announced a slate of new international agreements, including launches in France, Israel, and Cyprus, as well as a brand license agreement to launch Newsmax Ukraine in the first half of 2026.
On Hulu TV, Newsmax was launched and renewed its multi-year agreement with YouTube TV, maintaining Newsmax in its base package and expanding Newsmax+ distribution through YouTube Primetime Channels beginning in 2026. This year also saw the company's cable channel reach more than 58 million total viewers, according to Nielsen data.
