Competition Council authorizes “Baltcom” merger with “Izzi”

RIGA - The Competition Council has decided to grant permission for the merger of “Baltcom TV” and “Izzi Com” cable television companies; however, if the companies in the coming months win a tender for the development of terrestrial broadcasting in Latvia, they will have to draw up and submit to the Competition Council a set of conditions that they will observe so as not to hamper competition on the market.

The Competition Council explained to Nozare.lv that if the companies are unable to come up with such conditions, the merger permit will be revoked.

After assessment of the merger's impact on the market, the Competition Council concluded that the merger could only have a serious impact on competition if the merged company won a tender for the provision of terrestrial broadcasting services, currently provided by Lattelecom.

That is why, in order to protect the market and consumers, the Competition Council will only impose restrictions on the merger deal if, as a result of the said tender, the market situation changes significantly.