The European Commission (EC) has extended its in-depth antitrust review of Liberty Global’s (LGI’s) planned €4.9bn takeover of Dutch cableco Ziggo by 20 working days, setting a new deadline of 17 October.
The deadline for the phase-two…
The European Commission (EC) has extended its in-depth antitrust review of Liberty Global’s (LGI’s) planned €4.9bn takeover of Dutch cableco Ziggo by 20 working days, setting a new deadline of 17 October.
The deadline for the phase-two investigation was extended on 14 May following a request by the merging companies.
Under EU merger regulation they can do so within the first 15 days of the launch of the phase II investigation.
The EC launched the initially 90-day in-depth review earlier this month, saying it was concerned the deal could reduce competition in a number of pay-TV and telecommunications markets in the Netherlands where LGI’s local cableco UPC operates.
The combination of Ziggo and UPC, the Netherlands’ two largest cablecos, would create a company which reaches about 7 million customers – 90% of Dutch households – and generates about €2.5bn in total revenue.
The EC is also currently reviewing two high-profile mobile mergers: Telefonica’s planned takeover of German mobile operator E-Plus and Hutchison Whampoa’s proposed acquisition of O2 Ireland.
