SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A federal court has granted another week-long extension to temporarily block the proposed merger between television broadcasting companies Nexstar and Tegna, as legal proceedings continue over antitrust concerns.
U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley announced Friday that he would prolong the temporary restraining order that requires Nexstar to maintain separation of Tegna’s business operations while the court weighs whether to impose a preliminary injunction. The judge initially imposed the asset separation requirement on March 27 following an antitrust challenge brought by satellite television provider DirecTV.
During Friday’s proceedings, Judge Nunley indicated he plans to modify certain aspects of the current order to address specific objections raised by Nexstar’s legal team. The extended timeline will allow the court additional time to evaluate whether the merger should face longer-term restrictions pending resolution of the underlying lawsuit.
