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New Zealand: Regulator scrutinising Vodafone, Sky News merger

By  |  July 14, 2016

The proposed merger of Vodafone and Sky News in New Zealand is under scrutiny by the country’s competition enforcement and regulatory agency, the Commerce Commission, to determine whether it will lessen competition in the NZ market.

Global telco giant Vodafone’s New Zealand arm announced early last month its proposal to merge with satellite pay TV operator Sky TV in a deal worth $3.27 billion, with Vodafone holding a majority 51% stake in the merged company via its UK parent, Vodafone Group.

The commission announced in a statement of preliminary issues on Thursday that it is investigating whether the proposed merger will result in a substantial loss of competition in the market.

The two companies will have to wait until early November to see whether their merger gets the go-ahead from the commission which says it will make a decision by 11 November, or earlier if no issues are identified.

Full Content: It Wire

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