Eight states and pay-TV provider DirecTV filed separate suits late Wednesday in US District Court in California seeking to block Nexstar's proposed $3.54 billion acquisition of rival broadcaster Tegna, which would create the largest local television group in the United States.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the deal illegal, arguing it would enable Nexstar to extract higher retransmission fees from pay-TV distributors and reduce competition in local newsrooms. New York Attorney General Letitia James said 31 media markets would see diminished competition if the transaction closes. The states joining the suit include Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia.
DirecTV filed independently, contending that a combined Nexstar-Tegna would gain outsized leverage to demand higher carriage fees, while also closing local newsrooms across dozens of markets.
Nexstar already controls more than 200 stations across 116 US markets, reaching 220 million people. Tegna adds 64 stations in 51 markets. Together, the combined group would cover roughly 80% of US television households, a scale that would require the FCC to waive its existing station ownership cap.
The FCC cleared the merger last month. Chair Brendan Carr said he supported the deal, and President Trump had previously voiced public backing for it. Critics have argued Carr's approach to broadcaster regulation — including warnings that stations airing content he disfavours could face licence revocation — reflects political rather than regulatory motivations. The states' lawsuit cited concern that Nexstar's expanded footprint would give it significant control over editorial policy nationwide.
Nexstar and Tegna did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The legal challenge sets up a direct confrontation between state antitrust enforcement and federal regulators who have already signed off on the transaction.
