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ARTICLE · 24 MARCH 2017

The Vodafone / Sky merger: no clearance from the NZ Commerce Commission

Clayton Utz
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The NZ Commerce Commission blocked a proposed merger that would bundle Pay TV rights with telecommunications services.

AustraliaAntitrust/Competition Law
Michael Corrigan
Michael Corrigan
Sian-Lee Ooi
Sian-Lee Ooi
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The Vodafone / Sky Network merger is a good illustration of how a competition regulator will assess substantial market power arising from "must have" events such as premium live sports content.

What is one of the ultimate "must have" products in New Zealand? From a recent New Zealand Commerce Commission decision, it seems that one answer is the ability to view All Blacks games.

As an illustration, a recent New Zealand Commerce Commission has blocked a proposed merger that would bundle those Pay TV rights with telecommunications services.

The proposed merger, between Vodafone New Zealand and Sky Network Television, is a good example of a conglomerate merger. Conglomerate mergers involve merger parties that interact across several separate markets and supply goods or services that somehow relate to each other.

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