Press Release: Mergers: Commission clears News Corp’s proposed acquisition of BSkyB under EU merger rules

The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of British and Irish pay TV operator BSkyB by News Corporation, a global media and communications company headquartered in the US. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

The Commission's findings concern solely the competition aspects of the proposed transaction. They are without prejudice to the ongoing investigation by the competent UK authorities of whether the proposed transaction is compatible with the UK interest in media plurality, which is different from the Commission's competition assessment. The UK remains free to decide whether or not to take appropriate measures to protect its legitimate interest in media plurality (as permitted under Article 21 of the EU Merger Regulation).