The CMA’s hardball approach to the Microsoft deal paid off -but EU gamers will be left out August 24, 2023 A deal with the UK competition watchdog could mean British gamers have more choice than their European counterparts, writes Zach Meyers
Succession: CMA would block a Waystar merger just like Microsoft – and it hurts Britain June 2, 2023 No spoilers, I promise. Succession builds towards its climax. Logan Roy, played by a full tilt Brian Cox, is trying to finalise a merger between his media conglomerate Waystar Royco – a hybrid of News Corporation and Disney – and the up and coming tech business GoJo. Imagine the final scenes. Months of globe-trotting negotiations [...]
‘It’s our duty to be vigilant’: CMA bosses defend blocking Microsoft-Activision deal May 16, 2023 Bosses of the UK’s competition watchdog said today that they will not turn a blind eye to anti-competitive mergers as they defended the agency's controversial move to block Microsoft’s £55bn takeover of Activision Blizzard after it was waved through by EU regulators yesterday.
CMA bosses would have charged Asda more for failing to comply with fuel pricing probe July 19, 2023 The co-owner of Asda, Mohsin Issa, has said he thought it was ‘unfair’ for competition watchdog bosses to say they would have charged the grocer more if they could for failing to provide relevant info for its probe into fuel pricing. In June, Asda was fined £60,000 by competition watchdog for failing to co-operate properly [...]
CMA agrees pause on Microsoft appeal after US court waves through Activision deal July 12, 2023 The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it is willing to work with Microsoft over its planned acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard, which could help end its legal battle with the firms over the deal. It comes after a US judge yesterday handed Microsoft a victory by saying it would not [...]
Petrol prices rise for first time in eight months as CMA breaths down supermarkets’ necks July 6, 2023 Petrol prices rose for the first time in eight months in June just days after the competition regulator found supermarkets hiked up fuel prices last year. Unleaded increased by nearly a penny (0.7p) to 143.9p, while diesel came down by 1.2p to 145.46p at the end of month, marking eight consecutive monthly reductions, according to [...]
Our laws on tech companies would give too much power to regulators like the CMA July 3, 2023 Laws for big tech are already based on outdated information where Google and Facebook are king and regulators like the CMA are expected to make sense of a changed world, writes Matthew Sinclair
New CMA bill could undermine UK’s tech superpower ambitions, CPS report warns June 29, 2023 The government should scrap its new Digital Markets, Competitions and Consumers (DMCC) bill because it is already too old, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has warned today. The report, titled ‘The Unregulated Regulator’, alleges that dynamic digital markets have “outpaced” the new legislation. What’s more, it would weaken investment and grant the CMA “extensive [...]
CMA blocks tie-up of hearing aid giants citing bid to protect consumers and the NHS June 22, 2023 The competition watchdog said it was protecting customers and the NHS on Thursday as it blocked part of the planned tie-up between two hearing aid companies. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that it would not allow the merger of Cochlear Limited and Oticon Medical to go ahead. Cochlear agreed to buy Oticon from [...]
The CMA decision to block Microsoft’s Activision deal could cost us dearly in the UK June 6, 2023 The CMA decision to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision could be detrimental in the long-run: it could scare off other companies who will choose to set up shop elsewhere, writes Jason Chapman