Eight states sue to block Nexstar’s $6.2 billion Tegna deal
Nexstar Media’s proposed $6.2 billion acquisition of local TV station rival Tegna is being challenged in court by eight attorneys general, who allege the merger represents an illegal consolidation of broadcasters that would raise prices for pay-TV customers and “degrade” local news coverage in rural communities.
Nexstar is the largest local TV channel group in the US, with 201 owned and partnered channels in 116 markets. The deal for Tegna, which has 64 stations in 51 markets, would bring the combined company to 265 stations. Nexstar announced the agreement to buy Tegna last August – which would push its holdings well above the FCC’s 39% ownership limit. In November, Nexstar filed applications with the FCC, including a request for an exemption from the ownership limit.
In announcing the pact, Nexstar and Tegna said the combined company will “better serve communities by ensuring the long-term vitality of local news and programming from trusted local sources and preserving the diversity of local voices and opinions.”
But the attorneys general of the eight states suing to block the Nexstar-Tegna merger say it would hurt consumers. The eight states — California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia — filed a joint lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The lawsuit claims the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits mergers that significantly reduce competition or tend to create a monopoly.
“This merger would create incredibly high concentration in local TV markets and is expected to increase cable and satellite prices across the country, causing irreparable harm to local news and consumers who rely on their reporting as a critical source of information,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “If approved, this multibillion-dollar deal would bring together the nation’s largest and third-largest television station conglomerates, creating a behemoth that would cover 80% of U.S. television households.”
Bonta continued, “This merger is illegal, plain and simple, and violates federal antitrust laws that protect consumers. When broadcast media is owned by a handful of corporations, we get fewer voices, less competition, and communities lose critical control over the power that local journalism provides.”
A copy of the states’ lawsuit is available at this link. The lawsuit seeks an injunction declaring the merger illegal and a permanent injunction preventing the companies from completing the transaction.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department and the FCC both have the authority to block the merger. On February 7, 2026, President Donald Trump said in a social media post, “Done that deal!”, saying that Nexstar and Tegna should be allowed to merge to “take out the fake news” from the “Fake News National TV Networks.” Shortly after, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also responded on social media, writing, “Let’s get it done.” Carr has publicly expressed support for eliminating the FCC’s decades-old rule that bars TV station groups from owning outlets that reach more than 39% of U.S. households.
“The Trump administration has shown states and consumers that it is more concerned with protecting corporate interests than defending the public and enforcing consumer protection and antitrust laws that make life affordable for American families,” Bonta’s office said in announcing the lawsuit.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Thursday: “Competition among local TV stations allows consumers to enjoy a variety of affordable options for quality coverage of news, sports and more. This illegal merger threatens local news and could increase fees for consumers by combining hundreds of TV stations under the same ownership. I am suing to stop the illegal merger of Nexstar with Tegna to keep cable bills low and ensure New Yorkers have access to independent local news options they count on.”
The eight attorneys general argue that the Nexstar-Tegna merger would seriously threaten consumers’ access to high-quality local news. Nexstar has “an established track record of consolidating newsrooms when it owns more than one station in each media market,” James said. “These tactics eliminate independent news operations and reduce diversity in reporting at a time when local news is already under threat. If the merger is successful, communities will have fewer choices for local news in media markets across the country.”
Perry Sook, chairman and CEO of Nexstar, has asserted that the merger with Tegna is “critical to the future of local television and local journalism.”
In a Nov. 18 statement, Sook said, “We are grateful that the Trump Administration and the FCC recognize that current television ownership rules are outdated and do not reflect the competitive media landscape as it has evolved over the past 25 years. Like the Trump Administration, we are focused on achieving deregulation, and we continue to advocate for removing outdated restrictions on local television ownership as the best solution to level the competitive field for all media.”
