NC AG Jackson joins lawsuit to block Nexstar merger that could raise TV prices
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- Attorney General Jackson joins seven states in lawsuit to block Nexstar‑Tegna merger.
- Lawsuit argues combined ownership of 265 stations would raise TV prices and cut options.
- AG warns merger will consolidate newsrooms, reduce local coverage and scrutiny.
N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined seven other states in an antitrust lawsuit to block the merger of media companies Nexstar Media Group and Tegna .
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, argues the merger “would create a broadcast behemoth” owning 265 TV stations across 44 states.
“No single company has ever controlled that much of American broadcast television,” Jackson’s office said in a news release.
In August 2025, Nexstar Media Group announced it would acquire all of Tegna’s outstanding shares, including its net debt, for $6.2 billion.
That would give Nexstar the power to raise TV prices and control the quality and quantity of programming like sports and local news, the lawsuit says.
Jackson told The News & Observer on Thursday that the case is similar to an antitrust case regarding entertainment company Live Nation’s 2020 merger with its subsidiary Ticketmaster.
A recent settlement between Live Nation and the Trump administration could end a lawsuit filed nearly two years ago criticizing the entertainment company’s “anticompetitive conduct.”
Jackson said the lawsuit against Nexstar is trying to prevent that same conduct.
“The Ticketmaster merger happened 16 years ago, and it has meant higher prices for consumers ever since,” he said.
Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Oregon and Virginia have also filed the suit
DirecTV, a live TV streaming service, filed a separate lawsuit Thursday accusing Nexstar of violating federal law.
Nexstar in 2025 said the merger would allow the company to “be better able to serve communities by ensuring the long-term vitality of local news and programming from local sources.”
Details of the lawsuit
If the two media companies merge, the joint entity would own 265 TV stations across the country, according to the lawsuit. That would include stations that are currently competitors, as well as local stations affiliated with FOX, NBC, ABC and CBS.
In Charlotte, Nexstar owns WJZY, which is a FOX affiliate. Tegna owns WCNC Charlotte, an NBC affiliate.
Nexstar would own both if the merger goes through. The news release from the Attorney General’s Office said Nexstar has previously combined newsrooms that serve the same market, and that WCNC “could be folded into Nexstar’s existing operations.”
North Carolina’s news scene would see fewer reporters and fewer stories as a result, Jackson said, which would mean “less scrutiny for local leaders.”
The merger would hit Charlotte and the Triad hard, he said.
“We have seen a real diminishment in local news coverage over the last 20 years, and it has been a major cause for celebration among our worst politicians,” he said. “Crummy politicians love it when local news recedes, and this would accelerate that in a way that would cause crummy politicians to be quite happy.”
The lawsuit accuses the merger of being illegal based on the percentage of specific news markets Nexstar would control.
It emphasized that Nexstar, considering its history, would consolidate newsrooms and leave consumers with fewer local news options, as well as “a loss of independent, diverse viewpoints.”
Jackson said if Nexstar eliminates competition between local stations in North Carolina, the company will get more power over pricing.
“[The merger] would mean paying more for TV. It would hit about half the families in North Carolina,” he said. “If you have cable or satellite TV, you are going to end up paying more.”
