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Making the news

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24 March 2011 / Tom Robinson , Conor Quigley KC
Issue: 7458 / Categories: Features , Media , Commercial
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Tom Robinson & Conor Quigley QC provide a guide through the maze of competition & media plurality

In the UK, News Corp already has a huge role in the reporting of news and, hence, the way in which it is portrayed. The Sun and The Times are among the most widely read newspapers in the country and, while News Corp currently does not wield this comparable control in broadcasting, it now appears this is going to change.

News Corp’s proposed takeover of BSkyB, of which News Corp currently owns 39.1%, has come under intense public scrutiny with, initially, concerns over competition issues such as product bundling and, more controversially, issues of media plurality. The transaction was signed off by DG Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, who said he was “confident that this merger will not weaken competition in the UK”. The issue of media plurality though, he left to the UK authorities to decide—as he is obliged to do.

Merger controls

Merger controls exist to stop the formation of firms which

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