EC approves Canal Digital and Viasat Consumer joint venture

On 30 April 2020 the European Commission approved the creation of a new joint venture company comprised of Canal Digital, Telenor Group’s satellite pay-TV business, and Viasat Consumer, Nordic Entertainment Group’s (NENT) satellite pay-TV and broadband-TV business. The transaction was cleared in Phase 1.  CRA assisted the parties throughout the transaction. In particular, CRA provided analysis in response to the EC’s concerns that the transaction might provide NENT with an incentive to foreclose rival Pay TV distributors from its channels or foreclose other channel providers from distribution via the joint venture platform. CRA analysis showed that even taking into account the relationship between Telenor and the new joint venture company, NENT would not have an increased incentive to cease supply of its channels in order to favour the joint venture and Telenor.

The CRA team advising Telenor and NENT included Geoff Edwards, Helen Weeds, Jennifer Fish and Valter Sorana.

For more details, see the European Commission’s decision here.