Media & Advertising

A bipartisan coalition of 13 state attorneys general and DirecTV filed a motion on July 22, 2026, alleging that TEGNA's reconstituted board consists entirely of Nexstar's CEO, president, CFO, general counsel, and a recent Nexstar consultant, in potential violation of a court-ordered hold-separate injunction. The plaintiffs are asking Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley to clarify that current and recently departed Nexstar personnel cannot serve as TEGNA directors, with a hearing set for September 3, 2026. Nexstar argues the appointments are necessary to meet its SEC and Sarbanes-Oxley obligations and that the injunction's personnel restrictions apply to officers, not board members.

Influence Media Partners, backed by BlackRock, signed a definitive agreement on July 29, 2026, to acquire substantially all assets of Toronto-based Anthem Entertainment, including music publishing catalogs, film and TV publishing rights, and a master recordings portfolio of over 24,000 released songs. The deal, expected to close in Q4 2026, marks Anthem's third attempt to sell in a decade after failed processes in 2017 and 2022. Sources familiar with the transaction place the final figure closer to $650 million, above the official 'over $600 million' disclosed in the announcement.