WEKO examines proposed AZ Medien/NZZ Media Group merger in greater depth
Decision is noted, but not shared
AZ Medien and the NZZ Media Group take note of the decision, but do not share the Competition Commission's assessment, as they announce in a recent press release. In view of the highly competitive market environment and the fact that the market areas of the two companies complement each other, the parties consider the merger to be unproblematic, and the joint venture is necessary for the parties to be able to survive on the market in the long term. Accordingly, AZ Medien and NZZ Media Group are confident that the merger will be approved by COMCO by autumn 2018 and that the merger will result in "CH Media", an independent media company with strong regional roots. According to their own statements, the parties want to develop their media brands sustainably and thus give independent regional journalism a future.
