Business
CableTV.com Survey Finds 52.7% of Americans Expect TV Mergers to Raise Monthly Bills
New CableTV.com analysis connects the Nexstar-TEGNA merger fight to consumer price sensitivity, local-channel blackouts, and trust in local news outlets.
About this update from Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"CableTV.com Logo This corporate tug-of-war is exactly why 52.7% of Americans predict these mergers will raise their monthly bills. New CableTV.com analysis connects the Nexstar-TEGNA merger fight to consumer price sensitivity, local-channel blackouts, and trust in local news outlets. DRAPER, UT, UNITED STATES, May 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CableTV.com has released new consumer findings showing that Americans are closely watching how television-industry consolidation could affect household budgets, local-channel access, and confidence in local news. The analysis, published after a federal judge temporarily blocked integration of the Nexstar-TEGNA merger while antitrust litigation proceeds, found that 52.7% of Americans predict television mergers will raise monthly bills. The recent findings add a consumer perspective to a fast-moving broadcast dispute involving ownership scale, retransmission fees, local journalism, and access to major network programming. CableTV.com’s report examines the proposed combination through the lens of everyday viewers, highlighting how ownership changes at the station level can move through the television ecosystem and eventually appear in cable, satellite, and live TV streaming bills. The report also shows that consumers are not viewing the potential of rising bills as an abstract industry issue. More than 56% of consumers surveyed said they would change or cancel their service if a monthly bill increased by up to $20, indicating little to no tolerance for additional costs tied to carriage negotiations, broadcaster leverage, or distributor fee increases. For many households, the central issue is whether local television remains affordable, accessible, and locally relevant as major station groups expand. CableTV.com’s consumer data does not determine the legal merits of the case, but it adds public-opinion context to concerns raised in court. The report shows that viewers connect large broadcast deals with household costs and service reliability, even when many consumers remain unfamiliar with the ownership structures behind local stations. Nearly half of Americans were unaware of the latest $6.2 billion broadcast deal, even as the transaction could reshape ownership of local television stations across the country. That awareness gap is significant because local broadcast stations serve as the fou...