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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 7749
Contents Publication in full By article 23 / 42
GENERAL NEWS / (eu) eu/competition

Commission authorises Bertelsmann and GBL to acquire Pearson TV

Brussels, 30/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission gave the go ahead for the acquisition of the British television production company Pearson television by the German group Bertelsmann (Media) and the Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL). The operation consists, more particularly, in the acquisition of the company CLT-UFA, established in Luxembourg and controlled by Bertelsmann and the Belgian holding Audiofina, is itself controlled by GBL, the activities of Pearson PLC in the television sector. Bertelsmann and GBL joint control Audiofina within which they concentrate their European television and radio activities. The new group will have a market capitalisation of EUR 20 billion and in 1999 a pro forma turnover of EUR 3.78 billion. The operation will lead to an addition in market share in German, mainly on the markets of independent television production and the distribution of copyrights for works of fictions and other programmes. The vertical integration between the parties will also be strengthened, but the increase in market share is limited, felt the Commission.

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