KTVB-TV in Boise bought in billion-dollar megadeal by national broadcast rival
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- Nexstar’s $6.2B acquisition of Tegna, including KTVB-TV in Boise, expands ownership reach.
- Deal raises monopoly concerns and prompted lawsuits from state AGs and DirecTV.
- Nexstar will operate 265 local stations, reaching about 80% of U.S. households.
A sale that includes KTVB-TV Channel 7 in Boise to the largest local TV station company in the U.S. received final approval from federal regulators in a megadeal that will expand the broadcast giant’s reach even farther.
The Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department signed off Thursday on the $6.2 billion takeover first announced in August of Virginia-headquartered Tegna by Nexstar, a rival based in Texas, Nexstar said. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, an appointee of President Donald Trump, green-lit a waiver of a national TV ownership cap in place intended to limit control by one company over local TV markets in allowing the purchase to move forward.
Nexstar’s founder called the merger “essential to sustaining strong local journalism” where it broadcasts. The deal had been expected to close by this summer, but faced initial opposition from Trump in November before he backed it by February.
“By bringing these two outstanding companies together, Nexstar will be a stronger, more dynamic enterprise — better positioned to deliver exceptional journalism and local programming with enhanced assets, capabilities, and talent,” Nexstar chairman and CEO Perry Sook said in a statement. “We are grateful to President Trump, Chairman Carr, and the DOJ for recognizing the dynamic forces shaping the media landscape and enabling this transaction to move forward.”
Democratic attorneys general in eight states sued in federal court in California to block the merger, according to The Associated Press. The lawsuit raised concerns about the formation of a monopoly — which the FCC 39% ownership cap was designed to prevent.
Television provider DirecTV sued separately, citing its own competition fears. The company said the deal will lead to higher distribution fees it will have to pay to Nexstar for content, which DirecTV said it would be forced to pass onto subscribers, The AP reported.
Nexstar already was the nation’s biggest operator of local TV stations, with more than 200 stations in 37 states, plus Washington, D.C. With the completed deal, it will grow to 265 local TV stations in 44 states — adding Idaho — and reach 80% of U.S. households.
Tegna owned 64 stations, including NBC affiliate KTVB, in 18 states. KTFT-TV in Twin Falls, and KREM-TV and KSKN-TV in Spokane, Washington, also are part of its sale to Nexstar.
“We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,” Trump wrote on social media in February. “GET THAT DEAL DONE!”
Where overlapping TV market footprints exist between the expanded slate of local stations now under one roof, Nexstar said in a news release that it plans to create “improved synergy,” which critics have said equates to consolidation.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 1:19 PM.
