Commission clears the acquisition of Talpa Network by RTL Group, with the exception of the AV/TV value chain in the Netherlands

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Talpa Network B.V. of the Netherlands, by RTL Group S.A. of Luxembourg, with the exception of the AV/TV value chain in the Netherlands.

Talpa Network is a media company with subsidiaries in the Netherlands that broadcast TV and radio channels, that operate various online platforms and that publish magazines and games. RTL Group operates TV channels and radio stations in several EU Member States including the Netherlands. It is controlled by Bertelsmann, a German company active in the media, services and education sectors. In September 2021, the Commission accepted a request to refer partially the assessment of the proposed acquisition’s effect on competition to the Netherlands regarding the markets on the AV/TV value chain in the Netherlands. The Commission concluded that the remainder of the proposed acquisition, involving IT solutions and e-commerce platforms, would raise no competition concerns, because of limited overlaps and combined market shares between the companies. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.

More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.10391.