Finance
EU regulators pause probe into Liberty Media, Dorna deal, await information
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
EU regulators have paused the investigation into Liberty Media's acquisition of Dorna Sports, awaiting further information from the companies involved.
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators have paused their investigation into Liberty Media's 3.5-billion-euro ($3.7 billion) bid for Dorna Sports while waiting for information from the companies, the European Commission said on Monday.
The EU antitrust enforcer opened a full-scale investigation in December, warning that the deal could push up prices for the licensing of broadcasting rights for motorsports events hosted by both companies.
Another leg of the investigation focuses on whether Liberty Media's and U.S. cable company Liberty Global's largest shareholder, John Malone, has decisive influence over both companies that may prompt Liberty Media to shut out rival broadcasters in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands where Liberty Global is present.
The Commission, which had previously set a June 30 deadline for its decision, said it temporarily halted its investigation last Friday.
"The 'clock' in merger investigations can be suspended if the parties fail to provide, in a timely fashion, an important piece of information that the Commission has requested from them within a prescribed deadline," a Commission spokesperson said in an email.
It will set a new deadline once the companies provide the requested information.
($1 = 0.9555 euros)
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
EU antitrust regulators paused their investigation while waiting for information from Liberty Media regarding their bid for Dorna Sports.
Liberty Media's bid for Dorna Sports is valued at 3.5 billion euros, which is approximately 3.7 billion dollars.
The regulators warned that the deal could lead to increased prices for broadcasting rights for motorsports events hosted by both companies.
The investigation also examines whether John Malone, the largest shareholder of both companies, has decisive influence that could affect competition.
The Commission will set a new deadline for the investigation once the companies provide the requested information.
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