Competition & Regulatory Newsletter

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently cleared two high profile mergers at Phase 1. On 27 March 2020 the CMA cleared the completed acquisition of the “i” newspaper and website by Daily Mail and General Trust, following the decision by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport not to refer the deal to a Phase 2 investigation on public interest grounds. Then, on 31 March 2020, the CMA approved the anticipated purchase by Flutter Entertainment plc (owner of Paddy Power and Betfair) of The Stars Group Inc. (owner of Sky Bet), a deal set to create one of the largest gaming and betting companies in the world, again at Phase 1.

Also in this newsletter

• EC opens in-depth investigation into Johnson and Johnson/Tachosil
• European Commission sets up dedicated website providing companies with COVID-19 guidance
• Hong Kong antitrust authority takes textbook cartel case to Competition Tribunal