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Chile/Mexico/Brazil: Regulators coordinate on Disney-Fox merger conditions

By  |  March 12, 2019
The global merger between Disney and Fox, which has been valued at more than US$71 billion, is getting closer to reality following a major coordination and cooperation effort between competition agencies in three of the region’s main economies.

The Administrative Council of Economic Defense of Brazil (CADE), in addition to approving the operation, placed as a condition the sale of the Fox Sports Brazil channel by Disney to a third party, preventing the two main television channels that transmit this type content remain in the same hands.

The same competitive pressure is what the FNE seeks for Chile, with three actors of similar weight: Fox, Espn and Turner, operator of the Canal del Fútbol (CDF). The process is in the full investigation stage by the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office, which on November 19, 2018 instructed the opening of a process to evaluate the scope of the same.

“(The investigation) culminated with collaboration between the competition authorities of various parts of the world. In Latin America, the close dialogue with the agencies of Brazil, Mexico and Chile resulted in a coordinated solution to the case” the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

On the other hand, in Mexico, the conversation has taken an unexpected turn as questioning against the preliminary approval of the agreement granted by the Federal Commission of Economic Competition (COFECE) grows. With the arrival of a new administration to the government of the country, the regulator has faced strong criticism and controversy regarding the decisions taken by the Commission.

Full Content: La Tercera & Forbes

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