Liberty Media receives nod from EU regulators for MotoGP deal
BRUSSELS, June 23 (Reuters) - Formula One owner Liberty Media (FWONA.O), opens new tab received unconditional clearance from EU regulators for its acquisition of Dorna Sports, which owns MotoGP, the European Commission said on Monday.
Liberty Media had argued the transaction would allow it to grow the reach and appeal of MotoGP.
The commission said the decision followed a lengthy probe that examined if the acquisition would reduce competition for the licensing of sports content broadcasting rights.
"Based on the evidence gathered, the Commission found that on such markets the companies are not close competitors for the licensing of broadcasting rights for sports content," the commission said in a statement.
"Therefore, the transaction will not remove important competitive constraints between Formula 1 and MotoGP," it added.
Reuters had reported that EU regulators were poised to approve the acquisition in April. Liberty Media had announced the 3.5-billion-euro deal to purchase an 86% stake in Dorna in April 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
As a hotel boss, I saw the chaos unions unleashed on Britain in the 1970s. Now Rayner's workers' rights Bill is set to drag us back to the age of socialism on steroids
Many people today will not remember the 1970s. Indeed, most of the leading figures in our Government are too young to do so. But I recall them only too well. As a senior executive at the hotel group TrustHouseForte in the second half of that decade, I had a ringside seat on events during a period when British business was plagued by industrial disputes.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer's national security strategy to call for resilience across society
The UK's national security strategy is due to be published on Tuesday as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer travels to the Nato summit. The document will bring together a series of reviews commissioned by the Government, including the recent strategic defence review, a review of the Aukus alliance with the US and Australia and an audit of relations with China. It will also tie in the industrial and trade strategies and a resilience strategy. It is expected to call for the whole of society to become more resilient and recognise national security 'means more than it used to'. It will look at a range of areas including border security, supply chains and safety in the online world. The strategy is expected to set out 'systematic' plans to face a world of increasing 'grey zone' threats. Sir Keir said: 'The UK has long argued that investment in things like energy security and tackling smuggling gangs is vital to national security. 'That is reflected in the national security strategy and the spending review and is now expected to be recognised by Nato.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
'F1' film puts viewers in the driver's seat for a tale of second chances
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Brad Pitt is itching to return to the racing tracks after making "F1", a movie that takes audiences into the action of real Formula One races and mixes in romance and humour. Directed and co-written by "Top Gun: Maverick" filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, "F1" was partly filmed during Formula One Grand Prix weekends, with scenes shot on the circuits during breaks and real drivers also appearing on screen. Pitt plays an unruly racer-for-hire, who returns to Formula One to help his friend's struggling team and mentor its rookie driver, played by Damson Idris. Pitt and Idris did their own driving in the movie, combining top speeds with acting. The aim for authenticity made the project physically testing for the two. "It's real. You got to put in the neck exercises. And we're not even pulling the G's that the real guys are doing," Pitt said at the film's European premiere in London on Monday. "I was in the gym a lot. It was cold plunges afterwards just for recovery," Pitt, 61, said. "It's insane," said Idris in an interview. "You're driving up to 180 miles per hour sometimes. I have to say the lines at this specific place and I have to emote in a way that's going to translate through the eyes at those speeds. When you watch the film, you feel you're driving as a viewer, and that was our intention." Getting the balance right for viewers with varying levels of familiarity with the sport was also key, said Kosinski. "If you're a diehard Formula One fan, you're going to find some Easter eggs, you're going to recognise some historical stuff that I think will be interesting. But we also designed the movie so that if you know nothing about Formula One, if you have no interest in motor sports whatsoever, this is just a great story about second chances, teamwork and friendship," he said. Monday's premiere came just days after Pitt got to drive a Formula One car for real after testing a McLaren at Austin's Circuit of the Americas. The cars used in the film were Formula Two cars, modified to look like real grand prix racers. "Ask me how fast I went. Three mph short of 200 mph," Pitt said of the experience. "I want to go back. I want to hit 200." "F1" begins its global cinematic rollout on June 25.
