BRUSSELS, March 30 (Reuters) - European broadcaster RTL has offered remedies to address competition concerns over its Sky Deutschland acquisition, EU antitrust regulators said on Monday, a move likely
RTL offers concessions in push for speedy approval of Sky Deutschland deal
RTL's Acquisition of Sky Deutschland: Competition and Regulatory Considerations
By Foo Yun Chee
Background of the Acquisition
BRUSSELS, March 30 (Reuters) - European broadcaster RTL has offered to address competition concerns over its Sky Deutschland acquisition, EU antitrust regulators said on Monday, seeking early approval for the deal.
Strategic Importance of the Deal
The deal would help RTL, which is majority-owned by German media group Bertelsmann, to compete with U.S. heavyweights Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime in Germany. Sources told Reuters last week that RTL was poised to offer concessions.
Access to Premium Sports and Streaming Rights
Acquiring Sky Deutschland would give RTL local access to Sky's premium sports rights, including Bundesliga and Premier League soccer as well as Formula 1 motor racing. It would also provide access to Sky's WOW streaming service.
Regulatory Response and Commitments
"We can confirm that the parties have submitted commitments. The provisional deadline for the Commission to take a decision is now April 22," a European Commission spokesperson said in an email without disclosing details of the remedies.
Reuters was unable to reach an RTL spokesperson for immediate comment.
Potential Concessions to Address Competition Concerns
A possible concession to address competition concerns could be an offer by RTL to outsource advertising sales to third parties, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters last week.
RTL's Media Presence in Europe
RTL has 52 TV channels, six streaming services and 40 radio stations in Germany, France, Hungary and Luxembourg.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Klaus Lauer in Berlin; editing by Sharon Singleton and David Goodman)
