The Ministry of Justice and the FCC, the powerful competition watchdog, have approved the acquisition of Tegna by Nexstar. They have lifted the ban that normally prevents a single channel owner from reaching more than 40% of American households. With this acquisition, Nexstar will have control of 265 local television channels across the country, reaching 80% of households in the United States.
Nexstar’s CEO Perry Sook was quick to thank Donald Trump for enabling this deal. The agreement will become effective starting in August 2026. It is worth noting that the CEO wasted no time in showing his loyalty to the American president: in 2025, he decided to suspend the airing of comedian Jimmy Kimmel for a remark that displeased the White House.
Operators opposed to the merger
However, several operators opposed the merger. The rival group EchoStar believes that the merger would create a media giant capable of standardizing information, imposing editorial choices, and erasing political diversity on local broadcasts. A public interest group, “State Cable Petitioners,” also opposes it, arguing that the merger would reduce the production of local news and allow Nexstar to impose content reflecting its own political line.
With this consolidation, the concentration of media in the hands of Donald Trump’s allies increases even more. Paramount recently acquired the parent company of HBO and news channel CNN. Their newsrooms have reasons to worry about the control and abrupt editorial shift of CBS, acquired in 2025.
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