But that changed after last week’s election, when Newsmax refused to call the election in Mr. Biden’s favor. Still, it buoyed Trump supporters who were defiant about the president’s loss, and led Mr. Trump and his allies to embrace the outlet as a friendly venue. The alternate-reality strategy is working, and turning Newsmax into a legitimate contender for conservative eyeballs in the post-Trump era. Newsmax TV is getting its highest ratings this week, with as many as 800,000 people tuning in to its prime-time shows, according to Nielsen. Citing increased ratings since the election, Mr. Ruddy claimed that Newsmax is now “a major player in cable news.”

Source: New York Times November 12, 2020 16:52 UTC