The American Cable Association (ACA) has urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bar Disney from selling Fox’s regional sports networks to any in-market, big-four TV station or MVPD, saying it would raise pay TV prices and create new antitrust problems.
In June, the DOJ signed off on Disney’s US$71.3 billion purchase of most of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets with the requirement that Disney divest Fox’s 22 regional sports networks.
At the time, the agency stated that without the divestitures, the deal would likely result in higher prices for cable sports programming licensed to MVPDs in local markets.
In a letter submitted to the DOJ Monday, October 15, as part of the agency’s Tunney Act review, the ACA claimed allowing an ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox station the same local market as the RSN to purchase it would create a similar issue the department found with Disney owning them. Operators would run into negotiation problems when one entity could potentially blackout two sets of must-have programming, resulting in a hike in MVPD licensing fees, the trade group says.
“Losing both sets of programming simultaneously is far worse than losing each set of programming individually,” ACA wrote.
Full Content: HWG
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Apple Rejects Spotify’s Updated App Over In-App Pricing Disclosure
Apr 25, 2024 by
CPI
FCC Set to Reinstate Net Neutrality Rules Today
Apr 25, 2024 by
CPI
Chamber of Commerce Sues to Overturn FTC Noncompete Ban
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
FTC Chief Warns of Healthcare Price Fixing Risks Amid Tech Advancements
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
Amazon’s Investment in Anthropic Faces Antitrust Scrutiny
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI