American Television Alliance Statement on State Challenges to Nexstar-TEGNA Deal: “Big Broadcast Keeps Getting Bigger”

Legal Challenge to Nexstar-TEGNA Deal Confronts Big Broadcast’s Growing Control Over Local TV and Retransmission Fee Hikes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Television Alliance (ATVA) issued the following statement in response to a complaint filed in federal court by Attorneys General from eight states seeking to block Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of TEGNA Inc.

“Big Broadcast keeps getting bigger – and that means higher prices and more TV blackouts for American consumers. The American Television Alliance applauds the eight states that filed a complaint seeking to halt the Nexstar-TEGNA deal, highlighting the real and immediate impact it would have on consumers’ wallets,” said ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson. “The motive is unmistakable. Nexstar officials have publicly stated the deal would create new leverage, allowing for continual price hikes. As ATVA has consistently communicated to the Federal Communications Commission, more broadcast consolidation means higher prices for tens of millions of pay-TV subscribers across the country.”

Since 2011, Nexstar’s station ownership has grown sixfold – from 32 stations to 201 in 2024 – while TEGNA’s portfolio has more than tripled from 20 to 64. If approved, the combined entity would create what state leaders describe as a “broadcast behemoth” – a 265‑station group spanning 44 states, reaching 80 percent of U.S. households. This scale would give the combined company outsized market power in retransmission negotiations, driving up pay‑TV costs and threatening the diversity and independence of local news coverage.

Read the full court filing HERE.

Learn more about how Big Broadcast keeps getting bigger HERE.

To learn more about ATVA’s work on these issues and their impact on the American consumer, visit https://americantelevisionalliance.org/about-the-issue/.