Newsmax-Christopher Ruddy-Benzinga All Access

Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Inc. NMAX, was recently a guest on Benzinga's All-Access. Newsmax is a growing conservative cable news channel that recently went public on the New York Stock Exchange. The company is inking content deals with the likes of Hulu and Comcast, and is about to join the Russell 2000 Index later this month. Newsmax is now number 4 in cable news in the U.S., reaching about 40 million people across the country. While Newsmax may have a formidable competitor – Fox News has dominated the center-right news market for years – Ruddy says the company has been able to successfully grow because of its focus on cable news as well as its streaming service Newsmax2, which had 22 million monthly viewers in May alone. Right now, cable licensing fees are driving a lot of Newsmax's growth, but in the future, Ruddy believes the company's free OTT channel and streaming service will be big drivers of growth.