Note 17: Segment Data

The Company’s reportable broadcast segment includes (i) television stations and related local websites that Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other services to in various markets across the United States, (ii) NewsNation, a national cable news network, (iii) two owned and operated multicast networks and other multicast network services, and (iv) WGN-AM, a Chicago radio station. The other operating segments are nonreportable and include (i) The CW and (ii) digital businesses focused on the national marketplace. Intersegment transactions are eliminated in consolidation. The remaining activities of the Company are corporate functions and the management of certain real estate assets.

The Company’s segment structure reflects the financial information and reports used by its Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) to assess operating performance, allocate resources and make decisions regarding current operating and financial focus. The Company’s CODM is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

The CODM evaluates the performance of the Company’s operating segments based on net revenue and segment profit (loss). Segment profit (loss) includes net revenue, programming and related expenses, selling, general and administrative expenses attributable to the segments, and amortization of broadcast rights. Segment profit (loss) excludes unallocated corporate revenue and expenses, depreciation of property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets, impairment charges, transaction and other one-time expenses, gain on disposal of assets and business divestitures and non-operating income statement items.

The following table sets forth a breakdown of selected financial information for our reportable Broadcast segment and a reconciliation of that segment’s profit to income from operations (in millions):

 

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Reportable Broadcast Segment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net revenue

 

$

4,657

 

 

$

5,134

 

 

$

4,611

 

Programming and related expenses (1)

 

 

(2,200

)

 

 

(2,182

)

 

 

(2,086

)

Selling, general and administrative expenses (1)

 

 

(734

)

 

 

(775

)

 

 

(771

)

Amortization of broadcast rights (1)

 

 

(60

)

 

 

(64

)

 

 

(77

)

Reportable Broadcast segment's profit

 

 

1,663

 

 

 

2,113

 

 

 

1,677

 

Other segmentsʼ loss, net

 

 

(87

)

 

 

(130

)

 

 

(253

)

Corporate (unallocated)

 

 

(192

)

 

 

(197

)

 

 

(180

)

Depreciation and amortization expense (2)

 

 

(471

)

 

 

(484

)

 

 

(488

)

Goodwill and long-lived assets impairment

 

 

(14

)

 

 

(24

)

 

 

(35

)

Transaction and other one-time expenses

 

 

(47

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Restructuring costs

 

 

-

 

 

 

(12

)

 

 

(15

)

Miscellaneous

 

 

(3

)

 

 

2

 

 

 

2

 

Income from operations

 

$

849

 

 

$

1,268

 

 

$

708

 

(1) The expenses included in the measure of our reportable Broadcast segment’s profit are as follows:

Programming and related expenses – primarily include fees incurred under network affiliation agreements and operating costs to produce and air local news.
Selling, general and administrative expenses – primarily include (i) salaries, benefits and payroll taxes, commissions, professional fees, travel and software license fees incurred by sales teams and (ii) salaries, benefits and payroll taxes, group insurance and office rental costs incurred in managing the segment’s business units.
Amortization of broadcast rights – the amortization of license fees for acquired programs from national program syndicators and certain production companies.

(2) Includes depreciation of property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets. Excludes amortization of broadcast rights.

The following tables present the disaggregation of the Company’s revenue by source (in millions).

Year Ended December 31, 2025

 

Reportable
Broadcast
Segment

 

 

Other
Segments

 

 

Corporate (unallocated)

 

 

Eliminations(1)

 

 

Consolidated

 

Distribution

 

$

2,863

 

 

$

118

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

(57

)

 

$

2,924

 

Advertising

 

 

1,752

 

 

 

207

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,959

 

Other

 

 

42

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

(7

)

 

 

66

 

Total net revenue

 

$

4,657

 

 

$

346

 

 

$

10

 

 

$

(64

)

 

$

4,949

 

 

Year Ended December 31, 2024

 

Reportable
Broadcast
Segment

 

 

Other
Segments

 

 

Corporate (unallocated)

 

 

Eliminations(1)

 

 

Consolidated

 

Distribution

 

$

2,869

 

 

$

106

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

(47

)

 

$

2,928

 

Advertising

 

 

2,223

 

 

 

192

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,415

 

Other

 

 

42

 

 

 

19

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

(7

)

 

 

64

 

Total net revenue

 

$

5,134

 

 

$

317

 

 

$

10

 

 

$

(54

)

 

$

5,407

 

 

 

Year Ended December 31, 2023

 

Reportable
Broadcast
Segment

 

 

Other
Segments

 

 

Corporate (unallocated)

 

 

Eliminations(1)

 

 

Consolidated

 

Distribution

 

$

2,674

 

 

$

73

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

(21

)

 

$

2,727

 

Advertising

 

 

1,894

 

 

 

227

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,121

 

Other

 

 

43

 

 

 

39

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

(6

)

 

 

85

 

Total net revenue

 

$

4,611

 

 

$

339

 

 

$

10

 

 

$

(27

)

 

$

4,933

 

 

(1)
The elimination of distribution revenue represents intersegment revenue generated by Other segments for services provided to the Broadcast segment.

Our primary sources of revenue include: (i) distribution, comprised primarily of retransmission revenue, carriage fees, affiliation fees and spectrum leasing revenue and (ii) advertising, comprised of non-political and political advertising.

Distribution revenue, our largest category of revenue, primarily results from compensation from cable, satellite and other MVPDs and vMVPDs in return for our consent to the retransmission of the signals of our television stations and the carriage of NewsNation, typically based on the number of subscribers the MVPDs and vMVPDs have. We also generate distribution revenues from affiliation fees paid by affiliates of The CW and from programmers who use our spectrum in selected local markets to air their content on our multicast streams. Distribution revenue is recognized at the point in time the broadcast signal or cable network feed is delivered to the distributors in the case of retransmission and carriage fee revenue or, in the case of affiliation fees and spectrum leasing revenue, as network programming and spectrum capacity are delivered to our affiliates and customers.

Advertising revenue primarily results from the sale to local, regional and national businesses, political candidates and other political advertisers of commercial airtime by our stations and networks and the sale of advertising on our owned or third-party websites, and through mobile and OTT applications and other digital advertising solutions. Advertising revenue is generally highest in the second and fourth quarters of each year, due in part to increases in consumer advertising in the spring and retail advertising in the period leading up to, and including, the holiday season. Advertising revenue is generally higher during even-numbered years when congressional and/or presidential elections occur and advertising is aired during the Olympic Games. Advertising revenue is recognized at the time the advertisement airs or is delivered on our websites or mobile or OTT applications or the advertising solution is delivered.

The Company primarily derives its revenues from advertising and from distribution of its stations’ signals and its networks. During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, revenues from two of the Company’s customers from these sources exceeded 10% of the Company’s consolidated net revenues. The first customer represented approximately 13%, 12% and 12% of the Company’s consolidated net revenues in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The second customer represented 13%, 12% and 14% of the Company’s consolidated net revenues in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Assets by reportable segment are not reported because it is not used by the CODM to allocate resources or evaluate segment performance. For disclosure of goodwill by segment, see Note 5.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 27, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 27, 2025
2023Feb 28, 2024
2022Feb 28, 2023
2021Feb 28, 2022
2020Mar 1, 2021
2019Mar 2, 2020
2018Feb 27, 2019
2017Mar 1, 2018
2016Feb 28, 2017
2015Feb 29, 2016

About Segments Disclosures

Segment disclosures break a company into its reportable operating units, revealing revenue, profit, and asset allocation that consolidated financial statements obscure. Under ASC 280, segments must match how the chief operating decision maker views the business, providing a window into internal management structure and resource allocation priorities.

Key signals: compare segment margins to identify which units drive profitability and which destroy value. Watch for changes in the number of reportable segments — segment aggregation or disaggregation often coincides with strategic shifts or attempts to obscure declining performance. Intersegment elimination patterns reveal internal pricing practices. The reconciliation between segment totals and consolidated figures exposes corporate overhead allocation and unallocated items. Geographic revenue concentration highlights regulatory and currency exposure. Compare segment-level capital expenditure against segment revenue to assess where management is investing for future growth versus harvesting existing assets.