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☆ British competition regulator objects to Google's ad tech practices
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Britain's competition watchdog on Friday issued a statement of objections over Google's ad tech practices, which the regulator provisionally found are impacting competition in the U.K. In a statement, the Competition and Markets Authority alleged that the U.S. internet search titan "has harmed competition by using its dominance in online display advertising to favour its own ad tech services." The CMA further noted that Google disadvantages ad technology competitors, preventing them from competing on a "level playing field." "Many businesses are able to keep their digital content free or cheaper by using online advertising to generate revenue. The core of this case rests on flawed interpretations of the ad tech sector."

Persons: Juliette Enser, —, Enser, Dan Taylor, Taylor Organizations: Markets Authority, CMA, Google Locations: U.S

[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Microsoft Azure cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - British media regulator Ofcom will this week push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon (AMZN.O) and Microsoft's (MSFT.O) dominance of the UK's cloud computing market, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Between them, Amazon and Microsoft enjoy a combined market share of 60-70%. Ofcom warned the current state of Britain's cloud computing market made it difficult for some existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their provider. Amazon, Microsoft, the CMA, and Ofcom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Martin Coulter, Foo Yun Chee, Matthew Scuffham Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Ofcom, Google, CMA, Thomson Locations: British

[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Microsoft Azure cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - British media regulator Ofcom will this week push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon (AMZN.O) and Microsoft's (MSFT.O) dominance of the UK's cloud computing market, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Between them, Amazon and Microsoft enjoy a combined market share of 60-70% of Britain's cloud computing industry. Ofcom warned the current state of Britain's cloud computing market made it difficult for some existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their provider. Both Amazon and Microsoft previously said they would continue working with Ofcom ahead of the publication of its final report.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Martin Coulter, Foo Yun Chee, Matthew Scuffham, Susan Fenton Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Ofcom, Google, CMA, Thomson Locations: British, EU, U.S, China

LONDON (AP) — British competition regulators gave preliminary approval Friday to Microsoft’s restructured $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard, easing a final global hurdle that paves the way for one of the largest tech transactions in history to go through. The updated offer “opens the door to the deal being cleared,” the watchdog said, though there are lingering concerns. “The CMA’s position has been consistent throughout — this merger could only go ahead if competition, innovation and choice in cloud gaming was preserved," CEO Sarah Cardell said. Crucially, it got a thumbs-up from the 27-nation European Union after agreeing to allow users and cloud gaming platforms to stream its titles without paying royalties for 10 years. The CMA then put its original decision on hold and opened a new investigation into the revamped proposal.

Persons: Sarah Cardell, “, Brad Smith, ”, Bobby Kotick Organizations: Microsoft’s, Activision, The, Markets Authority, Microsoft, Union, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, CMA, Ubisoft Entertainment Locations: British, U.S, Britain

☆ This sophisticated investing strategy could be making a comeback after a blow to the FTC
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Valida Pau | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Merger arbitrage investors have been struggling this year. Play the gap Merger arbitrage can be a tricky strategy for regular investors to incorporate. Investors can buy into the following funds for exposure to merger arbitrage: The Arbitrage Fund (ARBNX) The Merger Fund (MERIX) The NexPoint Merger Arbitrage fund (HMEAX) The First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB) The IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) To be sure, many of these funds charge a hefty fee. Kroger and Albertsons , the two largest biggest grocers by revenue, just notched a regulatory win after a judge dismissed a consumer lawsuit challenging the $25 billion merger. Tower Semiconductor is trading for around $34 a share such that the arbitrage spread stands at more than 50%.

Persons: Activision Blizzard, Andrew Beer, Dealmaking, John Orrico, Salvatore Bruno, VMware's, Black Knight, it's Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Activision, FTC, Microsoft, Hedge Fund Research, Beta Investments, Global, Horizon Therapeutics, Activision Blizzard, Broadcom, VMware, Intercontinental Exchange, Black, CNBC, Kroger, Albertsons, Intel, Semiconductor Locations: Island, Water Island, British, Israel

That would leave Nintendo (7974.T) and Sony Group (6758.T) out in the cold, the FTC has said. Asked if Microsoft would have any incentive to shut out Sony's PlayStation in order to sell more Microsoft Xbox consoles, Nadella responded: "It makes no economic sense and no strategic sense." To address the FTC concerns, Microsoft has agreed to license "Call of Duty" to rivals. The FTC has asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco to temporarily stop the deal from closing in order to allow the agency's in-house judge to decide the case. Resolving the U.S. lawsuit is one of several key antitrust battles Microsoft and Activision have fought around the world.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Read, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Biden, Bobby Kotick, Diane Bartz, Lincoln Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Federal Trade Commission, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, PlayStation, European Union, Thomson Locations: California, Downtown San Francisco , California, U.S, WASHINGTON, San Francisco

☆ Canada says Microsoft deal to buy Activision likely to lessen competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - Canada's Department of Justice has concluded that Microsoft's (MSFT.O) deal to buy "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) "is likely to" lead to less competition in some aspects of gaming, according to a court filing on Thursday. Microsoft has pressed for a decision in the court fight before the July 18 termination date for the deal. "We received notice from the Canada Competition Bureau that it would continue to monitor our acquisition of Activision Blizzard after the formal waiting period preventing the deal to close expired," a Microsoft spokesperson said. Microsoft's bid to acquire the "Call of Duty" videogame maker also faces opposition from British competition authorities. Microsoft's appeal to Britain's Competition Appeal Tribunal is scheduled for July 28.

Persons: Microsoft's, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Canada's Department of Justice, Activision, Microsoft's, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Microsoft, Canada Competition Bureau, Activision Blizzard, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, British, Washington

The deal had been announced in January 2022 and the FTC sued to stop it in December last year. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco pressed FTC lawyers on where their economist got the data to show the deal would harm consumers. The FTC has said that if Microsoft bought Activision, Microsoft would have the incentive and the ability to harm competition in markets related to consoles, subscription game services and cloud gaming. "The harm here is we think is substantial in locking up Activision content," said FTC lawyer James Weingarten. To address the FTC concerns, Microsoft has agreed to license "Call of Duty" to rivals.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Read, Microsoft's, Jacqueline Scott Corley, James Weingarten, Corley, Microsoft's Beth Wilkinson, it's, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Biden, Diane Bartz, Lincoln Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, U.S . Federal Trade, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: California, Downtown San Francisco , California, U.S, WASHINGTON, San Francisco, British, Canada

☆ FTC to argue Microsoft's deal to buy Activision should be paused
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday will argue in federal court for a preliminary injunction to temporarily block Microsoft's acquisition of videogame maker Activision Blizzard, stopping the deal from closing before the government's case against the deal is heard. But if the court pauses the deal, Microsoft and Activision will have to agree to extend it past a July 18 termination date built into their original agreement. The FTC fears that without action by the federal court, the combined firm "could alter Activision's operations and business plans" and could allow Microsoft to access sensitive business information. Resolving the U.S. lawsuit is one of several key antitrust battles Microsoft and Activision have fought around the world to get the deal finalized. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick are among the witnesses planned for a five-day evidentiary hearing.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Bobby Kotick, Chris Sanders, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Activision, Microsoft, Microsoft Corp, Activision Blizzard Inc, FTC, EU, Nintendo, Sony Group, Sony, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

☆ Microsoft, Activision CEOs on witness list for hearing on FTC bid to block merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FTC is seeking a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft from completing its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The FTC has argued the transaction would give Microsoft's video game console Xbox exclusive access to Activision games, leaving Nintendo (7974.T) consoles and Sony Group Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation out in the cold. Microsoft's bid to acquire the "Call of Duty" video game maker was approved by the EU in May, but British competition authorities blocked the takeover in April. The FTC is calling Nadella to testify about the video game industry, Microsoft Gaming’s strategy and business and the planned Activision acquisition, while Microsoft is calling him to testify about similar topics. Also testifying are two executives from Nvidia Corp.Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart are also scheduled to testify, as are a number of expert witnesses.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Bobby Kotick, Nadella, James Ryan, Dov Zimring, Amy Hood, Phil Spencer, Tim Stuart, David Shepardson, Chris Reese Organizations: Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Federal Trade, FTC, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, EU, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Google, Nvidia Corp, Thomson

☆ US FTC asks court to block Microsoft acquisition of Activision
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission asked a court to temporarily block Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) on Monday, seeking to halt the deal from closing before the government's case against the $69 billion deal is heard. The FTC said Microsoft and Activision had signaled the deal could close as soon as Friday and asked a federal judge to block any final agreement before 11:59 p.m ET June 15. Shares in Microsoft closed up 1.5% Monday, while Activision fell 0.8%. "We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said Microsoft president Brad Smith in a statement. When announcing the deal in January 2022, Microsoft said they expected it would close in their 2023 fiscal year, which ends in June.

Persons: Brad Smith, Joe Biden, Rami Ayyub, David Shepardson, Doina Chiacu, Nick Zieminski, Conor Humphries, Anna Driver Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, EU, Sony, U.S, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ F.T.C. Said to Plan to Sue to Stop Microsoft’s Activision Deal From Closing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( David Mccabe | Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The planned lawsuit would be the latest blow to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, which makes popular video games like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. sued to block the deal through an in-house court, arguing it would damage competition in various parts of the video game market. The agency plans to file the separate lawsuit on Wednesday because unlike the F.T.C.’s in-house court, a federal court can issue a restraining order to block a purchase from being completed. In April, the British Competition and Markets Authority also moved to stop the deal, though regulators in the European Union said in May that it could go forward. Governments around the world have been challenging the power of tech giants like Microsoft.

Persons: Meta Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Activision, behemoth, British Competition, Markets Authority, European Union, Amazon, of Justice, Google

☆ US FTC seeks court order to block Microsoft acquisition of Activision -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will seek a court order to block Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O), a source familiar with a planned court filing said on Monday. Shares in Microsoft rose 0.8% Monday, while Activision fell 0.5%. The FTC plans to make the filing seeking the order in the Northern District of California, the source said. "We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said Microsoft president Brad Smith in a statement. But antitrust experts say the FTC faces an uphill battle to convince a judge to block the deal because of the voluntary concessions offered by Microsoft to allay fears it could dominate the gaming market.

Persons: Brad Smith, Joe Biden, Rami Ayyub, David Shepardson, Doina Chiacu, Nick Zieminski, Conor Humphries Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, EU, Northern District of, Sony, U.S, Thomson Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, Washington

☆ Microsoft searching for solutions over UK block on Activision deal -president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - The president of Microsoft (MSFT.O) said he was looking for solutions to try to get British approval for the software giant's $69 billion acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O). British competition authorities blocked the biggest ever deal in gaming in April, in a shock decision which Microsoft has since appealed. "I'm in search of solutions," Microsoft President Brad Smith told the techUK Tech Policy Leadership conference in London on Tuesday. The EU's competition authorities approved the deal in May after they accepted remedies put forward by Microsoft that were broadly comparable to those it proposed in the UK. Microsoft has also appealed the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's action seeking to block the deal on the grounds that, the agency said, it would suppress competition.

Persons: Brad Smith, Smith, Paul Sandle, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, techUK Tech, U.S . Federal Trade, Thomson Locations: British, London, EU

The private plaintiffs sued Microsoft in California federal court in December to enjoin the deal, which they called harmful to competition. Corley pushed back on the gamers' allegation that Microsoft would limit availability of the game. A lawyer for the gamers said on Monday they will press on with their challenge to the deal despite losing this preliminary round. Corley dismissed the gamers' first lawsuit in March, ruling that plaintiffs had not offered adequate factual support for claims that the deal would violate U.S. antitrust law. The case is DeMartini v. Microsoft Corp, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

An Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game is inserted into the Microsoft's Xbox One video game console arranged in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. Shares of Activision Blizzard surged Friday, after the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority narrowed the scope of its investigation into Microsoft 's takeover of the games publisher. The development marks a partial win for Microsoft, as it pursues an expansion of its video game business. Among its concerns, the regulator flagged that the deal would cause a substantial lessening of competition in the console gaming market. With this new evidence, the CMA now says it no longer believes the transaction will hamper competition in console games.

Microsoft President Brad Smith told a news conference on Tuesday he was now more optimistic of getting the Activision acquisition done after the Nvidia deal and a similar arrangement with Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.T). Instead, Nvidia's 25 million customers will need to pay Nvidia for access to its cloud gaming platform and pay Microsoft for its games. Shares of Microsoft fell 2%, Nvidia dropped 3.4% and Activision fell 0.7% in a broadly lower market on Tuesday afternoon. Nvidia said it now supports the Xbox maker's bid to purchase Activision, but the deal could still be a hard sell with regulators. Smith said he hoped that rival Sony Group Corp (6758.T) will consider doing the same type of deal with Nvidia.

☆ Microsoft's $69 billion Activision takeover in doubt as UK regulator raises competition concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The British competition regulator says Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard could harm competition in the U.K. gaming market and that it may move to block the deal. The Competition and Markets Authority published a provisional decision on the deal Wednesday, stating the takeover raises competition concerns and may result in higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation. This "could substantially reduce the competition between Xbox and PlayStation in the UK, in turn harming UK gamers," the watchdog added. Activision Blizzard shares were down 3.4% in U.S. pre-market trading Wednesday, following the CMA announcement. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also sent an internal memo to employees Wednesday, saying that the company was "confident that the law – and the facts – are on our side."

☆ StanChart suitors track banking’s flighty fortunes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Peter Thal Larsen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But one reliable rule of thumb is that Standard Chartered (STAN.L) will be the subject of periodic bouts of takeover speculation. The latest prospective suitor, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD), reflects the shifting fortunes of global banking. Under UK rules, First Abu Dhabi cannot make an offer for StanChart for six months, unless another bidder emerges. The Abu Dhabi lender said it had been in “the very early stages of evaluating a possible offer” for the emerging markets-focused bank. Standard Chartered declined to comment.

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