US: Scripps/Katz deal gets antitrust OK

Federal authorities have no antitrust issues with Scripps’ purchase of Katz Broadcasting and its broadcast multicast networks, Bounce, Grit, Escape and Laff, Scripps announced in a statement.

The information came in a list of deals that had received early termination of their Hart Scott Rodino antitrust reviews.

That means the Justice Department found no reason to file suit to block the deal or impose conditions and seek a settlement with the parties.

“In today’s fragmented television ecosystem, a growing number of viewers are consuming content from new over-the-air networks as a complement to over-the-top services,” Rich Boehne, chairman of Scripps, said when the deal was announced on August 1. “The entrepreneurs at Katz were among the first to take full advantage of this resurgence in over-the-air viewing. We were early investors in the company, and it’s a strategy and team we know well.”

Scripps had said it expected the deal to close by October 2, and the clean bill of antitrust health helps with that timeline.

Full Content: Scripps

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