A federal judge in Sacramento temporarily blocked Nexstar from combining operations with Tegna, issuing an injunction that requires the television giant to maintain Tegna as a separate, independent business unit. The ruling comes amid a legal battle over the companies' $6.2 billion merger, which would have created the largest local broadcaster in the United States.

The injunction stems from antitrust lawsuits filed by DirecTV and several states including California, Colorado and Oregon. These parties argued the merger would reduce competition and increase consumer costs. Despite receiving approval from the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice, the deal now faces significant legal hurdles as the antitrust case proceeds.

Nexstar responded by claiming its acquisition of Tegna had already been completed four weeks ago. The company stated it now owns Tegna, directly contradicting the court's temporary freeze. The judge has allowed DirecTV and the coalition of states to revise their complaints by month's end as the legal battle over this major media consolidation continues.