Advocacy group urges scrutiny of DOJ’s Fox-Roku decision

The DOJ announced Friday that its investigation found a Fox-Roku merger was “unlikely” to pose “a substantial risk of harm to competition” in the TV streaming market. It said Fox had pledged to keep Roku “an open and neutral content partner” and that Fox would face monetary and reputational harm if it used the platform against its content rivals.

The American Economic Liberties Project said the department approved the deal through a press statement rather than the consent decree that earlier reports had anticipated. The statement outlined commitments from Fox, the group said, but several expire in three years and have no judicial enforcement mechanism.

The group also drew attention to Fox’s $1 million contribution to “Fostering the Future,” a program intended to help foster children attend college. Lee Hepner, the group’s senior legal counsel, said donations to the first lady’s initiative during the DOJ review “should set off every alarm bell.” He alleged that media companies curry favor with the administration through donations and promises of favorable coverage before deals are approved.

Hepner characterized the DOJ decision as part of a broader pattern of corporate consolidation and corruption under the second Trump administration. He said the next Congress should scrutinize such transactions and challenge what he described as the concentration of power.