WASHINGTON–A judge late on Friday ordered Nexstar to temporarily keep Tegna’s assets separate pending a review of whether the broadcast station owner’s $3.54 billion acquisition of its rival Tegna violates federal antitrust laws.
The companies quickly closed the deal after the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission approved the deal on March 19.
U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley in Sacramento, California issued the order in response to a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by DirecTV, which argued it would irreparably drive up consumer costs, reduce local competition, shutter local newsrooms and increase both the frequency and duration of blackouts of key local sports teams….