Commission Decision of 08/02/2010 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.5757 - ALL3MEDIA GERMANY / BBC WORLDWIDE / TOWER PRODUCTIONS) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic) |EUROPEAN COMMISSION | Brussels , 08/02/2010 SG-Greffe(2010) D/1646, 1647 PUBLIC VERSION C(2010) 900 MERGER PROCEDURE ARTICLE 6(1)(b) DECISION SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE To the notifying parties Dear Madam(s) and/or Sir(s), Subject: Case No COMP/M.5757 - ALL3MEDIA GERMANY/ BBC WORLDWIDE/ TOWER PRODUCTIONS Notification of 04/01/2010 pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 [1] Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 5, 09 January 2010, p.26 1.
On 4 January 2010, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 by which the undertakings BBC Worldwide Limited (United Kingdom), controlled by the British Broadcasting Corporation ("BBC", United Kingdom) and All3Media Deutschland GmbH (Germany), controlled by Permira Holdings Limited ("Permira", Channel Islands), acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation joint control of the newly created company Tower Productions GmbH (Germany) by way of purchase of shares in the newly created company constituting a joint venture.
2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: - for BBC Worldwide Limited: licensing of pre-produced TV content to broadcasters worldwide; - for All3Media Deutschland GmbH: development and production of TV programmes for German broadcasters; - for Tower Productions GmbH: development, production and adaptation of programmes based among others on BBC Worldwide television formats for the German-speaking public. 3. After examination of the notification, the Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5(a) of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 [2] .
4. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the common market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the EC Merger Regulation. For the Commission (signed) Philip LOWE Director General [1] OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1. [2] OJ C 56, 05.3.2005, p. 32 ("Notice on a simplified procedure").