DOJ issues second request in antitrust review of Fox's $22 billion Roku deal

DOJ takes a closer look at the $22 billion deal

The US Department of Justice has sent Fox and Roku a formal "second request" as part of its review of Fox's proposed $22 billion acquisition of the streaming platform company. According to TechCrunch, the request went out on Tuesday and requires both companies to turn over additional data and documents. Semafor was first to report that the investigation was underway.

A second request is a normal procedural step in a large antitrust review, but it indicates the DOJ had questions the companies' initial filings could not settle. As TechCrunch notes, the move does not mean regulators are preparing to block the transaction; it does mean they want a fuller picture of how the combination could affect competition and consumers before deciding whether to clear it.

Why this is more than a typical media deal

The transaction pairs a major content owner with the company that controls a key gateway to that content. Fox holds an extensive library of news, sports and entertainment programming, along with Tubi, its free, ad-supported streaming service. Roku, for its part, runs one of the largest platforms sitting between viewers and streaming services: its operating system ships in millions of televisions and streaming devices, shaping how viewers find and use streaming apps.

That combination invites several questions for Roku's rivals. Would a Fox-owned Roku give Fox's own services better placement on the home screen? Would Fox tap Roku's viewer data to sharpen its advertising business? And could competing streaming services find themselves demoted or otherwise treated less favorably on the platform?

Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch has publicly tried to calm rival concerns, saying he anticipates the two companies will continue to run independently once the deal closes.

A test case for the DOJ's independence

The review also arrives at a moment when the DOJ has faced criticism over its handling of major mergers, including accusations of political influence. Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery drew scrutiny because CEO David Ellison's father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has close ties to President Trump, and critics argued that approving it showed signs of favoritism.

Against that backdrop, how the DOJ handles Fox and Roku could serve as a measure of how rigorously it reviews politically sensitive media deals. As TechCrunch points out, giving this transaction serious attention — particularly given the Murdoch family's ties to Trump — could help demonstrate that politically connected companies are not receiving special treatment from antitrust regulators.

What happens next

The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027, according to TechCrunch. For now, the second request moves the review into a more detailed phase, with both companies obliged to supply the additional material regulators have asked for. TechCrunch says it reached out to Fox for comment.

Why it matters

The Fox–Roku deal would tie a major content owner to the company behind one of the most widely used TV operating systems. If it clears, it could set a template for how media companies integrate with distribution platforms — and how much visibility platform owners can grant their own services over rivals. If regulators push back, it would draw a boundary around that kind of vertical integration in streaming. Either way, the DOJ's handling of a deal involving a politically connected media family will be watched closely as a signal of whether merger enforcement applies evenly across the industry.