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New Zealand: Regulator weighs media monopoly move

By  |  October 5, 2016

New Zealand’s competition watchdog is facing a crucial decision on whether to allow a merger that would create a near-monopoly in the country’s struggling newspaper industry, with subscriber numbers falling and internet companies increasingly dominating the fast-growing digital advertising market.

New Zealand Media and Entertainment and Fairfax New Zealand say their proposed merger would allow them to compete effectively against global giants such as Facebook and Google in advertising while expanding the coverage of news. But critics of the deal are skeptical, saying the merged company would have too much power in New Zealand’s media landscape and that cost-cutting would lead to more job cuts and a decline in quality.

The regulator, the Commerce Commission, said it would release a draft decision on the merger in November, followed by a final decision by March 15 next year.

Full Content: Asian Review

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