Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 4, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleEU regulators pause Universal Music's $775M Downtown acquisition probe due to competition concerns. New deadline pending.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -EU antitrust regulators have temporarily halted an investigation into Universal Music Group unit Virgin Music Group's $775-million bid for Downtown Music while awaiting requested information, the European Commission said on Thursday.
The EU competition enforcer has been investigating the deal on concerns that it may hamper competition and remove an important competitor. Independent labels have criticised the acquisition and even called for it to be blocked.
The Commission said it had stopped the clock on Sept. 2.
"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 (for its competition assessment) within a prescribed deadline," a Commission spokesperson said.
The previous deadline for an EU decision in the case was Dec. 10. A new deadline will be set once the investigation resumes.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Mark Heinrich)
EU antitrust regulators temporarily halted the investigation into Universal Music's acquisition of Downtown Music while awaiting requested information from the parties involved.
The EU competition enforcer has been investigating the deal due to concerns that it may hamper competition and eliminate an important competitor in the music industry.
The Commission announced that it stopped the clock on the investigation on September 2, which means the previous deadline of December 10 will be reset once the investigation resumes.
In merger investigations, the 'clock' can be suspended if the parties do not provide an important piece of information requested by the Commission in a timely manner.
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