The Justice Department is widening its antitrust investigation into the sports-media business. Officials met with broadcast-television station executives earlier this week as part of the inquiry, according to people familiar with the matter. The meetings signal regulators are casting a wide net in their examination of how sports content reaches viewers.

Broadcast television stations serve as critical intermediaries in the sports-media ecosystem, carrying local games and distributing regional sports networks to millions of households. The DOJ's focus on station operators suggests investigators are examining the full chain of sports broadcasting, from league negotiations to local distribution. Major players like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have been under scrutiny for sports-media deals.

The investigation comes amid intense consolidation in sports broadcasting, where rights fees have soared and fewer companies control access to live games. Antitrust enforcers have expressed concern about how this concentration affects consumers and cable subscribers who ultimately pay higher prices. The meetings with station executives indicate the probe is moving beyond initial inquiries into specific deal structures.