Press Release  AG Campbell Joins Bipartisan Coalition In Challenging $6.2 Billion Nexstar/TEGNA Merger

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined a bipartisan coalition of 13 attorneys general in filing an amended complaint against Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar) and TEGNA Inc. (TEGNA) in the ongoing challenge of the merger between the two broadcast television conglomerates.  

The $6.2 billion deal between Nexstar and TEGNA, the nation’s largest and third-largest television station conglomerates, would create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, putting more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, increasing cable bills, and significantly impacting the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide. 

“As Massachusetts residents continue to grapple with the rising cost of living and higher monthly household expenses, they shouldn’t have to pay the price for an unlawful merger driving up subscription prices,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to join a bipartisan coalition in challenging this unlawful merger, and I will continue to fight to uphold our state and federal antitrust laws.”  

Today’s amended complaint adds Massachusetts, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Vermont to a multistate lawsuit challenging the merger of Nexstar and TEGNA. 

Shortly after the initial lawsuit was filed, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted a preliminary injunction halting the merger while litigation in the case proceeds. The court has consolidated the states’ case with a related case brought by DIRECTV. The defendants have since appealed the preliminary injunction to the Ninth Circuit, and Nexstar’s opening brief is due May 20, 2026. 

The multibillion-dollar merger between Nexstar and TEGNA would create a media titan covering 80% of U.S. television households. In Massachusetts, Nexstar currently owns three “Big 4” broadcast stations, including WWLP (NBC) in the Springfield-Holyoke, MA market (covering Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties), WTEN (ABC) in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY market (covering Berkshire county), and WPRI (CBS) in the Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA market (covering Bristol county). If the merger is successful, Massachusetts residents would likely see increased subscription prices for cable, fiber, and satellite distributors of broadcast television, such as Comcast and DIRECTV. 

In filing the amended complaint, AG Campbell joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia. 

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