Sept 3 (Reuters) - Newsmax ( NMAX ) sued its larger

conservative news rival Fox Corp ( FOXA ) in federal court in

Florida on Wednesday, accusing the media giant of suppressing

competition in the U.S. market for right-leaning pay TV and

leaving consumers with less choice.

The lawsuit in West Palm Beach alleged Fox and its affiliate

Fox News Network violated antitrust law by coercing distributors

to exclude competitors such as Newsmax ( NMAX ) or to restrict their

reach.

"Fox's campaign to stunt Newsmax's ( NMAX ) business has delayed, for

almost a decade, Newsmax's ( NMAX ) growth in pay TV distribution," the

lawsuit said.

In a statement, Newsmax ( NMAX ) CEO Christopher Ruddy said his

company was focused on restoring fairness to the market and

ensuring that Americans have "real choice" in the news they

watch.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and a court

order that would bar Fox's alleged misconduct.

"Newsmax ( NMAX ) cannot sue their way out of their own competitive

failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because

they can't attract viewers," Fox News Media said in a statement.

Fox News has maintained a strong lead over its cable news

competitors. Republican U.S. President Donald Trump promoted

Newsmax ( NMAX ) during his first administration, while he often

criticized other outlets' coverage of him. The lawsuit said

Newsmax's ( NMAX ) ratings increased before and after the 2020

presidential election.

In July, Trump Media & Technology Group launched its

TV streaming platform, Truth+, which featured Newsmax ( NMAX ).

Newsmax ( NMAX ) was founded in 1998 and launched Newsmax TV as a pay

television channel in 2014. It debuted this year as a publicly

traded company. Newsmax ( NMAX ) said in the lawsuit that its programming

offered an alternative to what it called Fox's "establishment

platform."

Newsmax ( NMAX ) says its media properties reach more than 40 million

Americans.

In August, Newsmax ( NMAX ) agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion

Voting Systems to settle a defamation lawsuit over false claims

that the voting machine company rigged the 2020 election against

Trump. Newsmax ( NMAX ) said it stood by its coverage but did not believe

it could get a fair trial.

Last year, the outlet reached a confidential settlement with

voting machine maker Smartmatic, which alleged it was defamed by

Newsmax's ( NMAX ) false claims that its machines were rigged.

Fox Corp ( FOXA ) and Fox News in 2023 settled a similar defamation

lawsuit by Dominion Voting for $787.5 million.