EC clears acquisition of Eurosport by Discovery
April 11, 2014
The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Eurosport by Discovery.
Discovery Communications and France’s TF1 Group January 2014 agreed a deal that for Discovery acquire a controlling interest in Eurosport International through an extension of the pair’s larger strategic partnership first announced in December 2012. The deal to increase Discovery’s interest from 20 per cent to 51 per cent brought forward the original agreement by nearly one year.
The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns, in particular because the parties only have moderate market shares on the markets for the acquisition of TV rights, wholesale TV channels and TV advertising, where their activities overlap. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.