DirecTV Hits Nexstar With Antitrust Claims, Escalating Fee Fight

DirecTV LLC sued Nexstar Media Group Inc., the country’s largest owner of local TV channels, claiming it’s exploiting service agreements with smaller station owners to manipulate the size of carriage fees paid by cable and satellite providers.

The lawsuit also targets two station owners, Mission Broadcasting Inc. and White Knight Broadcasting Inc., which it calls “sidecars” due to their extensive contractual arrangements with Nexstar. The suit accuses Nexstar of deploying them as “stalking horses” as part of a coordinated scheme to jack up fees.

The antitrust claims reflect the latest volley in a months-long dispute stemming from renewal negotiations ...