Nexstar Media Group COO Mike Biard is standing firmly behind one of the most closely watched media moves of the year: the company’s decision to declare its $6.2 billion Tegna merger closed almost immediately after receiving approval from the FCC.
Asked by Deadline whether he had any second thoughts about the timing, Biard’s answer was blunt: not at all. For Nexstar, the message is clear. The company believes the regulatory boxes had been checked, the deal had cleared the necessary hurdles, and the time to move was right then, not days or weeks later.
Nexstar Tegna merger: why the closing call drew attention
The Nexstar-Tegna deal has been controversial because it reshapes a major slice of the U.S. local TV landscape. Tegna owns a large portfolio of broadcast stations across the country, while Nexstar is already the biggest owner of local television stations in the United States.
That scale is exactly why the merger attracted heavy scrutiny. Local TV remains a powerful business, even as cable subscribers decline and streaming eats into traditional viewing habits. Owning more stations means more leverage in retransmission consent negotiations, more local ad inventory, and a broader national footprint.
Biard’s defense of the quick close suggests Nexstar is eager to move from approval drama to integration. In a media market where deals can get stuck in limbo for months, the company appears determined to show investors and partners that it can act decisively.
Pay-TV decline remains a major challenge for broadcasters
The timing matters because the state of pay-TV is still fragile. Cable and satellite bundles continue to lose subscribers as viewers shift toward streaming services, free ad-supported TV platforms and digital antennas. For station groups like Nexstar, that creates a complicated mix of pressure and opportunity.
Retransmission fees from cable and satellite operators remain a key revenue stream for local broadcasters. But as the traditional pay-TV universe shrinks, station owners are looking for new ways to protect that income while expanding digital reach.
Nexstar’s bet is that local news, live sports, political advertising and broadcast networks still have durable value. Unlike many streaming-first companies, local station groups have something streamers often struggle to replicate: direct market-by-market relationships with viewers.
The CW outlook under Nexstar: cheaper, broader and more disciplined
Another major piece of Nexstar’s strategy is The CW. Since taking control of the network, Nexstar has pushed it away from its old identity as a home for expensive young-adult scripted dramas and toward a leaner programming model.
That shift has included more unscripted shows, acquired series, sports programming and lower-cost content. The goal is not simply to chase buzz. It is to turn The CW into a profitable broadcast network that fits Nexstar’s wider local TV ecosystem.
The move has not pleased every longtime CW viewer, especially fans of the network’s former superhero and teen-drama eras. But from a business standpoint, Nexstar is trying to build a network that can survive in a tougher ad market and a fragmented viewing environment.
What the Nexstar-Tegna deal could mean for local TV viewers
For viewers, the biggest question is whether consolidation changes the availability or cost of local channels. In the short term, most audiences are unlikely to see immediate on-screen changes. Local affiliates will continue carrying their network programming, news and syndicated shows.
The longer-term impact may show up in carriage disputes, regional programming decisions and how aggressively station owners push into streaming-adjacent products. As more households cut the cord, local broadcasters need to remain easy to find without relying only on traditional cable packages.
That is why Nexstar’s comments land at a pivotal moment. The company is not just defending one merger decision. It is making a broader argument that scale, local TV and broadcast networks still matter in an industry obsessed with streaming platforms.
Where can viewers watch The CW in the US, UK and EU?
In the United States, The CW is available through local broadcast affiliates, the free CW app, CWTV.com and select live TV streaming bundles where local carriage is offered. Availability can vary by market.
In the UK and across the EU, The CW does not operate as a standard free-to-air TV channel in the same way it does in the U.S. Individual CW shows may be licensed to local broadcasters or streaming platforms depending on the country, but there is no universal CW channel rollout for UK or EU viewers.
Tags: #Nexstar #Tegna #TheCW #PayTV #StreamingNews
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