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US: TV station owners face antitrust suit for fixing TV ad rates

By  |  October 9, 2018

According to a report by the New York Post, the Bon-Ton Stores are the latest plaintiff to file suit against major US media conglomerates, alleging a massive conspiracy to drive up the price of local television advertising.

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    The suit by Bon-Ton Stores, filed in the federal court in the Northern District of Illinois, claims the retailer spent more than US$89 million in local ads over the past four years.

    “Through their price-fixing scheme, Tribune, Sinclair and their co-conspirators have monopolized the airwaves and extorted millions of dollars from businesses like Bon-Ton,” said Bon-Ton outside lawyer Adam Levitt, who works for DiCello Levitt & Casey.

    The complaint comes as the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division is actively investigating the defendants’ conduct after its recent review of the now-defunct merger between Sinclair and Tribune.

    Full Content: New York Post

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