Nexstar asks Ninth Circuit to narrow nationwide injunction halting Tegna merger

Nexstar Media Group filed a 50‑page reply brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, urging the court to substantially narrow a nationwide preliminary injunction that blocks full integration of the company’s recently completed $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna. The injunction was issued by a district court in Eastern California after DirectTV and a coalition of state attorneys general sued, alleging antitrust violations that could raise retransmission‑consent fees and degrade local‑news quality in 31 designated market areas where Big‑Four network affiliates overlap.

Nexstar argues the injunction exceeds the geographic scope of the plaintiffs’ alleged harms, sweeping up all of its operations—including non‑overlapping stations, digital advertising platforms and other business units—despite the complaint focusing only on a small fraction of the nation’s 210 DMAs. The company contends that the plaintiffs have not demonstrated anticompetitive effects or standing, and that precedent limits remedies to specific stations or markets rather than a blanket national freeze. Nexstar warns the order hampers needed investments, puts it at a competitive disadvantage against larger media conglomerates and streaming services, and undermines the local journalism the suit claims to protect. Oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit are pending.