Newsmax CEO Forecasts: 'Big Growth Ahead' With Cable, Streaming

Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy declared the company's post-IPO momentum "remarkable" during a live interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, citing explosive growth across cable TV, streaming, digital platforms, and print publications.

Speaking on "NYSE Live," Ruddy revealed that Newsmax is experiencing double-digit gains in nearly every division this year, defying the typical post-election "hangover" slump in media engagement and revenues. 

Key drivers include a landmark multiyear distribution deal with Hulu + Live TV, expanding reach to roughly 60 million U.S. households—putting Newsmax on par with Fox News and CNN—and additional carriage agreements with Verizon Fios and over 900 hotels nationwide (300,000 rooms).

Chris Ruddy

The network, which made history as the first Regulation A+ company to list directly on the NYSE Big Board under ticker "NMAX" on March 31, 2025, following a $75 million IPO and $225 million pre-IPO raise, has seen its free streaming channel Newsmax2 surge with double-digit viewership growth on platforms like Roku, Samsung, Vizio, and Pluto.

Ruddy highlighted three core growth pillars: a still-profitable cable channel thriving amid industry contraction (ranking No. 4 in cable news and No. 5-10 overall among hundreds of channels); hypergrowth in Newsmax2; and rapid expansion of the subscription-based Newsmax+ platform, now bolstered with documentaries, films, movies, and family-friendly entertainment content to fill an underserved streaming niche.

He praised the recent addition of Fubo CEO David Gandler to the board—amid Disney's closure of its Hulu + Live TV merger with Fubo—as a "world-class" move, while emphasizing streaming and digital as the "tremendous upside" even as cable remains a lucrative ecosystem.

Recalling the "high-energy" public debut last spring, Ruddy said, "Everything's up pretty much this year," with the outlook "more robust than ever."