Judge temporarily blocks merger of local TV rivals Nexstar and Tegna

• A court has put a temporary block on the merger of Nexstar and Tegna.
• The local TV rivals are barred from combining operations until an antitrust lawsuit is settled.
• California AG Rob Bonta is among politicians opposing the merger, which he called “illegal.”

A federal judge in California has blocked the merger of local TV giant Nexstar and its rival, Tegna, until an antitrust lawsuit is settled.

US District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley on Friday issued a preliminary injunction that forbids Nexstar and Tegna from combining operations during the legal dispute with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and seven other state attorneys general.

The companies had previously received approval for the merger, reportedly worth $6.2 billion, from the Federal Communications Commission and the US Department of Justice last month. Nexstar and Tegna closed the deal on March 19, immediately after the DOJ announced early termination of its antitrust review.

Friday’s preliminary injunction follows a temporary restraining order granted last month in a challenge brought by satellite TV company DirecTV.

Describing the injunction as “a critical win in our case,” Bonta said: “This merger is illegal, plain and simple. The federal government may have thrown in the towel, but we’ll keep fighting for consumers, for workers, for affordability, and for our local news.”

Nexstar, the largest owner of local broadcast television stations in the country, said it would appeal the decision.

“This pro-competitive transaction will make local stations stronger and support continued investment in local journalism and fact-based news. We will appeal today’s decision and look forward to presenting our case on its merits before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” it said in a statement.