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New Zealand: Commerce Commission sinks Fairfax/NZME media merger

By  |  May 2, 2017

Media companies Fairfax New Zealand and NZME can’t merge, the Commerce Commission has ruled.

The ruling follows a year of lobbying and speculation concerning some of the country’s largest media brands, including Stuff and the NZ Herald.

The Commission acknowledged that NZME and Fairfax “face a challenging commercial environment as they seek to transition from their traditional print products to a sustainable online model” but disagreed with some of the scenarios the media companies suggested about their respective futures without the merger.

“This merger would concentrate media ownership and influence to an unprecedented extent for a well-established modern liberal democracy. The news audience reach that the applicants have provide the merged entity with the scope to control a large share of the news consumed by a majority of New Zealanders.” Chairman Mark Berry said.

Full Content: New Zealand Herald

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