Overview
- A federal judge on April 17 issued a preliminary injunction that barred Nexstar and Tegna from integrating after the companies closed the $6.2 billion transaction on March 19 following DOJ and FCC approval.
- Nexstar asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 20 to expedite its appeal and schedule oral argument as soon as August, saying the hold-separate order causes unrecoverable costs and hiring and retention problems.
- Plaintiffs led by California and New York attorneys general and DirecTV argue the merger would concentrate local broadcast ownership, raise retransmission fees, increase blackout risk, and harm local newsrooms.
- The deal would create the largest U.S. broadcast group and, under an FCC waiver, reach roughly 80% of households, a footprint well above the previous 39% ownership benchmark that underpins many objections.
- Related challenges are pending at the D.C. Circuit over the FCC waiver, court papers in the California case are due July 8, and if the injunction stands a trial is unlikely to start before 2027, a delay that could set precedent for future media consolidation disputes.