Nexstar’s efforts to acquire Media General haven’t been easy from the beginning, and it appears they will remain challenging.

On Thursday, Cox Communications, which is in the middle of a fierce retransmission-consent battle with Nexstar, said it would oppose the proposed merger, reports B&C. Cable operators pay broadcasters what are called retransmission-consent fees in return for permission TV-station feeds, including broadcast networks, to their subscribers.

“Nexstar is demanding Cox Communications customers pay triple the current price for retransmission consent or Nexstar will remove their signal from the Cox Communications lineup on January 29,” Cox said in a statement. “Nexstar won’t even accept the very same rate that stations they manage agreed to just two weeks ago.”

On Wednesday, Nexstar and Media General announced that they would merge in a deal worth $4.6 million. Meredith Corporation, which first announced it would buy Media General last fall, withdrew from the deal and accepted a $60 million termination payment.

The new company, Nexstar Media Group, would own 171 full-power broadcast stations covering some 39 percent of the country, making it one of the country’s largest broadcast groups, along with Fox, Tribune and Sinclair.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval, and Cox is encouraging public opposition to it.

“Nexstar should not be allowed to become a larger company, which would force more cable TV/satellite companies and ultimately customers to pay higher fees for retransmission consent. This merger is bad for business, bad for consumers and is not in the public interest,” Cox said.

Read more: B&C

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