Competition watchdog probes land banks in housing investigation August 25, 2023 The UK competition watchdog has said it will probe land banking by the country’s biggest housebuilders as it identified a number of concerns regarding the sector. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) formally started a probe into the housebuilding sector and the private rental market in February. It said it was looking into the housebuilding [...]
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
CMA: Hitachi takeover of Thales’ rail signalling unit won’t impact London Tube projects August 23, 2023 Hitachi’s £1.4bn takeover of Thales’ rail signalling business won’t impact competition in the market for supplying signalling systems for the London Underground, the UK’s antitrust agency said today. The proposed deal led the Competition and Markets Authority to raise competition concerns back in December, as Hitachi and Thales are two of the main suppliers of [...]
Will Microsoft and Activision Blizzard finally get the green light? August 22, 2023 Britain’s competition watchdog faces a tough call on whether to wave through Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s merger as the EU and the US have done, but a green light could be down the road, experts have suggested. Microsoft’s renewed $69bn acquisition offer for gaming giant Activision Blizzard has triggered a new probe by the Competition [...]
Microsoft offers new Activision Blizzard deal to UK competition watchdog August 22, 2023 Microsoft has put a fresh deal on the table for its $69bn (£55bn) acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, triggering a new investigation by Britain’s competition watchdog. On Tuesday the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed it is blocking the original deal to protect consumer choice in cloud gaming. However, Microsoft has submitted a fresh [...]
UK competition agency clears Broadcom’s £54bn deal for VMware August 21, 2023 Broadcom’s proposed purchase of VMware would not substantially reduce competition in the supply of server hardware components in the UK, the industry regulator has said. The UK’s competition watchdog has cleared the largest deal in its history as it said that the tie-up of US companies Broadcom and VMware would not damage UK competition. The [...]
Australia’s blocking of Qatar airways is a parable in anti-competitive intervention August 18, 2023 With such strong demand for travel to Australia, extra Qatar airways flights would mean more competition and a dent in Qantas’ record profits - something the Australian government wants to block.
Why is Netflix jumping into the cloud gaming market? August 15, 2023 Netflix first announced its move into the cloud gaming industry back in November 2021, and it is now starting to test its games in the UK on televisions and computers as it looks to grow the service. Cloud gaming – sometimes known as gaming on demand or game streaming – allows users to play video [...]
Natwest gets slap on the wrist after flouting customer service rules August 15, 2023 Natwest and the Co-Operative Bank have been given a slap on the wrist by the competition watchdog today after potentially misleading customers over the quality of service they were receiving. In letters to the two banks today, the Competition and Markets Authority said Natwest and Co-Op Bank had both breached part three of the Retail [...]
Ranked: The best banks for customer service? Monzo and Starling steam ahead August 15, 2023 Which banks are the best for customer service? A new official ranking has been produced by the consumer regulator