Nexstar is Now the Largest Local Network Operator with Approval of Tribune Deal, Opening Door For Streaming More Locals

In December, Nexstar Media Group agreed to buy Tribune Media for $4.1B, after a $3.9B sale to Sinclair was called off months prior. Today, the FCC officially approved the merger which will see Nexstar add Tribune media’s 42 local stations to Nexstar’s 174 stations.

The deal will see Nexstar’s reach grow from 39 to 42% of U.S. television households. But as part of the agreement with the FCC, Nexstar will sell some of their stations to Scripps, Tegna, and Circle City Broadcasting.

“The Commission found that the proposed merger would provide several public interest benefits to viewers of current Tribune and Nexstar stations. For example, viewers would benefit from their local stations having increased access to Nexstar’s Washington, DC, news bureau and state news bureaus. Additionally, Nexstar demonstrated that it would invest savings resulting from the merger into its stations, including investments in ATSC 3.0, the next-generation television broadcast standard.”

Nexstar has been aggressive to coming to Live TV Streaming Services. Many of their local ABC, FOX, CBS, and select NBC affiliates stream across services.

Now, that the deal has been approved — there’s hope that Nexstar’s existing deals with Live TV Streaming Services can bring Tribune locals to customers. To date, Tribune has streamed their FOX affiliates across services, while Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV are the only services that carry their CBS affiliates. However, their ABC, NBC, The CW, and independent stations have yet to make it to any of the Live TV Streaming Services.

Tribune Locals Across Streaming Services