Attorney General Bonta Welcomes New States and Files Amended Complaint in Nexstar/Tegna Challenge, Lawsuit Now Bipartisan

Five additional states - Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont - join AG Bonta's lawsuit

SACRAMENTO - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today as part of a now bipartisan coalition of 13 attorneys general, filed an amended complaint against Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar) and Tegna Inc. (Tegna) in the ongoing challenge of the broadcast giants' merger. Last month, Attorney General Bonta led a coalition in challenging the Nexstar/Tegna merger, and shortly after, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted a preliminary injunction halting the merger while litigation in this case proceeds. The $6.2 billion deal is expected to create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, putting more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, cutting local jobs, increasing cable bills, and significantly impacting the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide.

"Antitrust enforcement is not political - it's about protecting working families and helping ensure the benefits of a vibrant economy are for everyone, not just well-connected corporations. Today, five additional states join us in our challenge of the Nexstar/Tegna merger, now making this lawsuit a bipartisan effort," said Attorney General Bonta. "This is not controversial stuff - this merger is illegal and will give Nexstar and Tegna the ability to control and raise prices, fire journalists, and dominate the media landscape. State attorneys general nationwide understand just how important robust antitrust enforcement is to American life, and what a rotten deal this is for consumers, for workers, for affordability, and for our local news. We welcome our sister states into the fray and look forward to fighting alongside them."

BACKGROUND

The multibillion-dollar Nexstar/Tegna merger combines the nation's largest and third-largest television-station conglomerates, creating a titan covering 80% of U.S. television households. In California, the combined entity would own half of the Big Four (FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS) network-affiliated stations in two major areas: the local FOX and ABC stations in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area and the local FOX and CBS stations in the San Diego area. Alarmingly, in the weeks leading up to the merger's closing, reports detailed Nexstar's firing of long-standing journalists in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

On March 18, Attorney General Bonta led a coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block the merger, and on April 17, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted a preliminary injunction halting the merger of Tegna and Nexstar while litigation in the case proceeds. The preliminary injunction followed a temporary restraining order granted in the challenge brought by DIRECTV. The court has consolidated the states' case with DIRECTV's related case. Defendants appealed the preliminary injunction to the Ninth Circuit, and Nexstar's opening brief is due May 20, 2026.

In filing the amended complaint, Attorney General Bonta leads the state coalition, which includes the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia.