Good call from the Commerce Commission:
Commerce Commission says no to Fairfax-NZME media merger
The Commerce Commission is planning to decline to authorise the merger between media giants Fairfax and NZME, it has revealed this morning.
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The Commission’s preliminary view – revealed today – was that the merger would be likely to “substantially lessen competition in a number of markets, including the markets for premium digital advertising, advertising in Sunday newspapers and advertising in community newspapers in 10 regions throughout New Zealand”.
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Chairman Dr Mark Berry said the merger would result in one media outlet controlling nearly 90 percent of New Zealand’s print media market, and would be the second highest level of print media ownership in the world, behind only China.The merged entity would also control New Zealand’s two largest news websites – nzherald.co.nz and stuff.co.nz – which together reached more than four times more readers than the next biggest domestic news website, and would also own one of New Zealand’s two largest commercial radio companies.
“All this would result in an unprecedented level of media concentration for a well-established liberal democracy. …
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