07/04/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 7 April, the European Commission endorsed the planned acquisition of Sky, the main pay-TV operator in Germany, Austria, Ireland, Italy and the UK, by Twenty-First Century Fox, one of the six biggest Hollywood film studios that also operates television channels. Fox and Sky mostly operate on different markets in the above countries. They compete with each other only to a limited extent, mainly in the acquisition of TV content and in the wholesale supply of basic pay-TV channels. The European Commission reached the conclusion that the planned deal would only lead to only a limited increase in Sky's existing share of the markets in the member states concerned. It felt the deal would not raise any competition issues and therefore endorsed it unconditionally. (EL)