12:05 PM EDT, 03/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- DIRECTV said Thursday it filed a federal antitrust lawsuit to block the proposed merger of Nexstar Media Group ( NXST ) and TEGNA ( TGNA ) , arguing it would harm consumers.

The complaint claims that combining the largest and second-largest US English-language broadcast groups will "drive up consumer costs, reduce local competition, shutter local newsrooms, and increase both the frequency and duration of blackouts of key local teams and network programming."

The DIRECTV lawsuit follows a similar suit by attorneys general from eight states, including California and New York, filed late Wednesday.

Nexstar Media Group ( NXST ) and TEGNA ( TGNA ) didn't immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comments.

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