Nexstar Must Hand Over DOJ Investigation Papers in TV Ads Case

A federal judge ordered Nexstar Media Group Inc. to produce documents from previous antitrust investigations to a group of local businesses accusing the media company of fixing prices for local TV advertising spots.

Nexstar, the largest owner of local TV stations in the US, was targeted in a pair of Justice Department investigations related to Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s failed 2017 merger with Tribune Media Co. and alleged involvement in a broad conspiracy among television broadcasters to exchange competitively sensitive pricing information, allowing them to coordinate price increases.

DOJ settled both matters in 2018 and 2019, but a group of ...