Media ownership reforms: how will the ACCC handle media mergers?

The ACCC's draft Media Merger Guidelines give important clues to the types of transactions with the greatest chance of successfully completing without regulatory challenge.

With the imminent reintroduction of the Turnbull Government's media ownership reform package, planning for potential restructuring and rescaling of traditional media platforms is likely to be well underway within the industry. While opportunities beckon, the ACCC will play a role as gatekeeper for any transactions in this new regulatory playing field. Significant clues to the ACCC's likely approach to new media transactions lie in the new draft Media Merger Guidelines, released on 26 August 2016.

Media reform back on the agenda