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☆ Tech M&A has been thwarted by regulators, but dealmakers skeptical that election will change much
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Amazon abandoned its $1.7 billion purchase of iRobot in January after the FTC and European regulators raised concerns. Since peaking at $1.5 trillion in 2021, tech transaction volume has plummeted, dropping to $544 billion last year, according to Dealogic. Before the company announced its $27 billion purchase of data analytics software company Splunk last September, he said he viewed the risk as absolutely worth taking. Alphabet's last big deal was its $5.4 billion purchase of cybersecurity company Mandiant in 2022. Microsoft closed its massive $75 billion purchase of Activision in October, but it took 20 months and a protracted fight with U.S. and European regulators.

Persons: Lina Khan, Jonathan Kanter, Khan, Joe Biden, Drew Angerer, Biden, Permira, Thoma, Sen, JD Vance, Donald Trump's, Barry Diller, Reid Hoffman, Kamala Harris, Andrew Luh, Gunderson Dettmer, Figma, Dana Rao, Rao, We've, they've, Juniper, Salesforce, Antonio Neri, Pau Barrena, Neri, Sergio Letelier, hasn't, Letelier, Marc Benioff, It's Benioff's, Slack, Benioff, Derek Idemoto, who's, Idemoto, that's, Splunk, HPE's Letelier, it's, Harris, Trump Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Justice, Brookings Institution, U.S, Senate, Getty, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission, iRobot, FTC, BlackRock, Thoma Bravo, KKR, Republican, CNBC, Democratic, Trump, Big Tech, Justice Department, DOJ, Apple, Meta, Adobe, European Commission, UK Competition, Markets Authority, Justice Department's Antitrust, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Mobile World Congress, MWC, AFP, Juniper, Markets, DOJ's Antitrust, European Union, EU, Software, Cisco, Activision, Foreign Investment, Regulators, Bloomberg, Tech Locations: Washington, Europe, Barcelona, Pau, Salesforce, United States

☆ Oasis tickets: Ticketmaster probed in the UK over concert sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-05 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Britain’s competition watchdog is investigating Ticketmaster over concerns the company treated customers unfairly when selling tickets to the upcoming Oasis reunion tour. The authority will also consider whether people were pressured to buy tickets quickly at a higher price than they understood they would have to pay. One individual posted on X that he had waited five hours to buy tickets only to receive a message that read: “Your session has been suspended.”Fans should be “treated fairly” when buying tickets, CMA CEO Sarah Cardell said in Thursday’s statement. Ticketmaster faced public scrutiny in November 2022 for its handling of the massively popular Taylor Swift Eras Tour. It was also caught in controversy after a blunder relating to sales of tickets for a concert to celebrate the ascension of King Charles to the British throne.

Persons: London CNN —, Sarah Cardell, Taylor, King Charles Organizations: London CNN, Ticketmaster, Markets, CMA, Digital Markets, Competition, Consumers, ”, CNN Locations: United States

☆ Spanish startups hit Microsoft with complaint over cloud practices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft was hit with a Spanish startup group's complaint about its cloud practices to the Spanish antitrust regulator on Tuesday, the latest grievance over its fast-growing cloud computing services and which followed a trade group's EU complaint. The Spanish Startup Association, which represents more than 700 startups in Spain, cited a number of allegedly anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in recent years. Microsoft defended its cloud practices. "Microsoft provides choice and flexibility for our customers to switch to another cloud provider at no cost, and our licensing terms enable our customers and other cloud providers to run and offer Microsoft software on every cloud," a spokesperson said. "We will engage with the Spanish Startup Association to learn more about its concerns."

Persons: Carlos Mateo Organizations: Microsoft, Mobile, Amazon, Spanish Startup Association, Operating Systems, Windows, Reuters, Cloud Infrastructure Services, European Commission, Competition, Markets Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Spanish, U.S, Europe

☆ Microsoft, Amazon AI partnerships face scrutiny from British regulators
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Microsoft logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen and Amazon logo in the background in Athens, Greece on October 5, 2023. British antitrust regulators are seeking views on partnerships between Microsoft and Amazon with smaller generative AI model makers. Microsoft recently made a 15 million euro ($16 million) investment into Mistral, a young French AI firm set up by former employees of Meta and Google's DeepMind AI lab. Amazon, meanwhile, has invested a whopping $4 billion into U.S. AI firm Anthropic, which is behind the Claude large language model and chatbot. An Amazon spokesperson said it was "unprecedented" for the CMA to review a collaboration of the kind that the company had agreed with Anthropic.

Persons: Claude, it's Organizations: Microsoft, Markets Authority, French, Amazon, CMA, Mistral, Meta, Competition, Anthropic Locations: Athens, Greece, French, Anthropic

☆ Microsoft-Activision Blizzard takeover approved as UK removes final hurdle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —UK antitrust officials have approved Microsoft’s planned takeover of Activision Blizzard, the maker of “Call of Duty” and other hit games, greenlighting one of the biggest tech deals of all time. The Competition and Markets Authority announced Friday that the merger had been cleared after the companies agreed to give up certain cloud gaming rights, removing the final regulatory hurdle to the deal closing. Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled the deal in early 2022, but it was blocked in April by the UK competition regulator. “The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming,” the agency said Friday. Alongside “Call of Duty,” it also produces “World of Warcraft” and “Overwatch.”Microsoft, which sells the Xbox gaming console, offers a popular video game subscription service called Xbox Game Pass, as well as a cloud-based video game streaming service.

Persons: “, Tencent, Brad Smith, “ we’re, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Activision Blizzard, Markets Authority, CMA, Microsoft, Activision, European Union, Ubisoft Entertainment, Sony, Twitter Locations: Hong Kong

☆ Microsoft could buy Activision Blizzard by the end of the week. Here's what that means for 'Call of Duty.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Activision President Rob Kostich said he thinks the deal will make "Call of Duty" better. "This deal is good for the industry," Kostich told Games Beat. AdvertisementAdvertisementActivision Blizzard's president thinks that Microsoft could make the "Call of Duty" franchise even better. The UK Competition and Markets Authority previously blocked Microsoft's attempts to buy Activision Blizzard, causing Microsoft to reorganize the deal. "As we've said previously, this deal is good for the industry and will bring more games to more players," Kostich told Games Beat.

Persons: Rob Kostich, Kostich, —, we've, Activision Blizzard Organizations: Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Activision, Service, Markets, Ubisoft, Cloud Gaming, Sunday

☆ Amazon and Microsoft's cloud dominance referred for UK competition probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's anti-competition regulators have been tasked with investigating Microsoft and Amazon 's dominance of the cloud computing market. Media watchdog Ofcom on Thursday referred its inquiry for further investigation to the Competition and Markets Authority, kickstarting the process. "So, we're referring the market to the CMA for further scrutiny, to make sure business customers continue to benefit from cloud services." Ofcom is concerned that so-called "hyperscalers" like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are limiting competition in the cloud computing market. Combined, Amazon, Microsoft and Google generate roughly 81% of revenues in the U.K.'s cloud infrastructure services market, according to Ofcom, which estimates the market to be worth £15 billion ($18.2 billion).

Persons: Fergal Farragher Organizations: Ofcom, Microsoft, Media, Competition, Markets Authority, Amazon, CMA, Web Services, Google

☆ EU antitrust regulators set Oct. 23 deadline for Arcelik, Whirlpool deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Arcelik AS FollowWhirlpool Corp FollowBRUSSELS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by Oct. 23 whether to clear Turkish domestic appliances maker Arcelik's (ARCLK.IS) proposed purchase of Whirlpool's (WHR.N) European domestic appliances business, an European Commission filing showed on Thursday. Under the deal announced in January, the companies will set up a new entity made up of Arcelik's European units such as major domestic appliances, small domestic appliances and consumer electronics and Whirlpool's European business. The EU competition watchdog can either clear the deal with or without seeking remedies after its preliminary review or it can open a four-month investigation if it has serious concerns. The UK competition agency is also assessing the deal, with a decision due by Sept. 28.

Persons: Yves Herman, Arcelik, Blomberg, Foo Yun, Mark Potter Organizations: European Commission, REUTERS, Whirlpool, Commission, EU, Zenith, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Arctic, Altus, Grundig

☆ Hitachi's EU remedies on Thales deal similar to UK remedies, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Hitachi is seen at an office building in Zurich, Switzerland September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Hitachi Ltd FollowThales SA FollowBRUSSELS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Hitachi's (6501.T) remedies to EU antitrust regulators assessing its proposed 1.7-billion-euro ($1.8 billion) buy of French infrastructure company Thales' (TCFP.PA) rail signal business are similar to those offered to the UK competition agency, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday. Hitachi told the UK Competition and Markets Authority in June that it was ready to divest its UK, French and German mainline signaling business and transfer its core communication-based train control technology to a rival. It had said that these assets comprise all the elements needed for a viable, standalone business. ($1 = 0.9376 euros)Reporting by Foo Yun CheeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arnd, Foo Yun Chee Organizations: Hitachi, REUTERS, Companies Hitachi Ltd, Thales, Follow, Reuters, Competition, Markets Authority, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland

The Japanese conglomerate put in its offer to the European Commission on Thursday, the same day it requested EU clearance for the deal, an EU regulatory filing showed on Friday. The EU competition enforcer, which set a Nov. 6 deadline for its decision, did not provide details of the remedies in line with its policy. The company had sought EU approval in October last year but withdrew its application a month later. The deal underscores the consolidation in the rail industry, with independent players teaming up with bigger industrial groups. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in August narrowed its concerns, saying the deal would not substantially lessen competition in the supply of communications-based train control signalling systems in the UK.

Persons: Arnd, Foo Yun Chee, David Evans, Louise Heavens Organizations: Hitachi, REUTERS, Companies Hitachi Ltd, Thales, Follow, European, UK Competition, Markets Authority, EU, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, France, Germany

☆ UK Competition and Markets Authority on renewed interest in Microsoft's $69B deal for Activision
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUK Competition and Markets Authority on renewed interest in Microsoft's $69B deal for ActivisionSarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the Competition and Markets Authority, discusses the UK's decision to take a fresh look at Microsoft's proposed deal to buy Activision Blizzard.

Persons: Activision Sarah Cardell, Microsoft's Organizations: Markets Authority, Activision, Competition, Activision Blizzard

☆ Microsoft gives ground on streaming in bid to remove UK block on Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Microsoft has made a major concession to UK authorities in a bid to remove the last remaining regulatory obstacle to its huge takeover of Activision Blizzard. The restructured deal, announced by the UK Competition and Markets Authority Tuesday, follows a decision by the CMA to block the acquisition on its original terms. A US federal court also said in July that it would not block the deal from closing. The transaction was valued at $69 billion at the time, making it one of the tech industry’s largest deals. Activision Blizzard is one of the world’s biggest video game developers, producing games such as “Candy Crush,” “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft” and “Overwatch.”

Persons: Sarah Cardell, ” Cardell, Candy, ” Organizations: London CNN, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, European Union, Ubisoft Entertainment, UK Competition, Markets, CMA, Ubisoft —, Economic, Ubisoft, Activision Locations: United Kingdom, Paris

☆ Exclusive-EU regulators rebuff Meta's offer to curb use of ad data, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: EU flag and Meta logo are seen in this illustration taken, May 22, 2023. Its offer also included limiting the use of advertising data to develop products that compete with advertisers, the people said. The UK enforcer in a preliminary view has said Meta’s offer addresses its concerns. Companies risk fines of as much as 10% of their global turnover for EU antitrust violations. The other was allegedly its unfair trading conditions imposed on rival online classified ads services which advertise on Facebook or Instagram.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Meta Organizations: REUTERS, Facebook, EU, Reuters, European Commission, Meta Locations: BRUSSELS, EU

☆ Exclusive-EU antitrust regulators rejected Meta offer to curb use of ad data, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: EU flag and Meta logo are seen in this illustration taken, May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Meta Platforms offered to curb the use of competitors’ advertising data for its Facebook Marketplace online classified service in an attempt to settle an EU antitrust investigation but it was not accepted by regulators, people familiar with the matter said. Its offer also included limiting the use of advertising data to develop products that compete with advertisers, the people said. The world’s most popular social network sought to settle the EU investigation opened in June last year, other people familiar with the matter told Reuters last December. Details of Meta’s proposed concessions had not been previously reported on.

Persons: Dado Ruvic Organizations: REUTERS, Facebook, U.S ., Reuters Locations: BRUSSELS, U.S

☆ Exclusive: EU antitrust regulators rejected Meta offer to curb use of ad data, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 25 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) offered to curb the use of competitors' advertising data for its Facebook Marketplace online classified service in an attempt to settle an EU antitrust investigation but it was not accepted by regulators, people familiar with the matter said. Meta's proposal, made months ago and similar to one made to the UK competition agency in May, is an indication that the EU watchdog wants more concessions from the U.S. company. Its offer also included limiting the use of advertising data to develop products that compete with advertisers, the people said. The world's most popular social network sought to settle the EU investigation opened in June last year, other people familiar with the matter told Reuters last December. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Foo Yun Chee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Facebook, U.S ., Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, U.S

It is an unexpected truce between Sony, which makes Playstation consoles, and its far larger U.S. rival. Details have yet to be disclosed, and it's not clear why Sony, which Microsoft earlier offered a 10-year contract, has had a change of heart. Sony's video-game division reported digital software and content sales of $11 billion in the fiscal year to March. Yoshida has been selectively snapping up smaller gaming studios to beef up Playstation content, including splashing out $3.6 billion for developer Bungie. Details were not disclosed, but a Microsoft spokesperson clarified with various media that the deal is for 10 years.

Persons: it's, Boss Kenchiro Yoshida, Yoshida, Phil Spencer, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Activision, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nvidia, U.S, UK Competition, Markets Authority, Bungie, Nikkei, Federal Trade, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, U.S

☆ Broadcom's $61 billion VMware deal wins conditional EU antitrust OK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 12 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Broadcom (AVGO.O) secured EU antitrust approval on Wednesday for its $61 billion proposed acquisition of cloud computing firm VMware (VMW.N) after offering remedies to help rival Marvell Technology (MRVL.O). The deal, Broadcom's largest ever, will help the chipmaker diversify into enterprise software. Broadcom offered Marvell and other rivals interoperability commitments related to its Fibre Channel Host-Bus Adapters (FC HBAs), a kind of storage adapters, the European Commission said, confirming a Reuters story last month. Marvell and other rivals will also have guaranteed access to the source code for all of Broadcom's current and future FC HBA drivers through an irrevocable open source license. "The commitments offered by Broadcom will enable its only rival Marvell, to continue competing on equal footing and ensure a similar protection for any future entrants," EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

Persons: Marvell, Margrethe Vestager, Foo Yun Chee, Jason Neely Organizations: chipmaker Broadcom, VMware, Marvell Technology, Broadcom, Marvell, Fibre, HBAs, European Commission, Reuters, FC HBAs, FC HBA, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, European Union, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Taiwan

☆ EU to green light Broadcom's VMware deal on Wednesday, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. Broadcom is a leading supplier of FC HBAs, which are storage adapters that connect servers to storage located outside the server on a storage-area network using the fiber channel protocol. The VMware deal is Broadcom's largest-ever acquisition as it looks to diversify into enterprise software. The European Commission declined to comment. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the UK competition agency are also examining the deal.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Foo Yun Chee, Mark Porter Organizations: Broadcom, REUTERS, chipmaker Broadcom, VMware, Reuters, HBAs, Marvell Technology, FC HBAs, European, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ Amazon's iRobot deal faces EU antitrust investigation, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 22 (Reuters) - Amazon's (AMZN.O) $1.7 billion acquisition of robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot (IRBT.O) faces a full-scale EU antitrust investigation, people familiar with the matter said, weeks after the U.S. online retail giant won UK approval for the deal. IRobot made its first Roomba robot vacuum in 2002. IRobot shares fell about 10%, their largest percentage drop since February last year, while Amazon shares trimmed gains after the Reuters story was published. Amazon has previously said the vacuum cleaner market is very competitive, with lots of Chinese players. It blocked Microsoft's Activision deal while the Commission cleared the deal conditional on Microsoft's licensing deals with rival streaming platforms.

Persons: IRobot, Foo Yun Chee, Alison Williams, Kirsten Donovan, Jan Harvey Organizations: Amazon, European Commission, Activision, Antitrust, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ iRobot shares surge after UK regulator clears Amazon acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon 's planned $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot , the maker of Roomba vacuums, has been greenlit by Britain's competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority said it determined the deal would not result in "a substantial lessening of competition" in the U.K. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement: "We're pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority's decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work. Amazon announced last year it would acquire iRobot for $1.7 billion, as part of a move to deepen its presence in the smart home. WATCH: Amazon's smart home dominance and how it could grow with iRobot acquisition

Persons: Roomba, We're Organizations: iRobot, Markets Authority, CMA, Amazon, CNBC, Competition, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Union

☆ UK clears Amazon's $1.7 billion deal for Roomba-maker iRobot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 16 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Friday cleared Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) planned $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had concluded that the deal would not lead to competition concerns in the UK. "We're pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority's decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work," a spokesperson for Amazon said. The news sent shares in U.S-listed iRobot up 12% in pre-market trade, while Amazon's stock was marginally down. EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 6 whether to clear the deal, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also examining the acquisition.

Persons: We're, Colin Angle, Eva Mathews, Devika Syamnath, Jason Neely Organizations: Amazon.com, iRobot Corp, Markets Authority, Competition, Amazon, CMA, Regulators, Big Tech, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

☆ FTC to seek federal court order temporarily blocking Microsoft-Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Federal Trade Commission plans to file in federal court to prevent Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard from closing their $69 billion merger, according to a person familiar with the matter. The FTC sued Microsoft in the agency’s administrative court in December, challenging the deal as anticompetitive. “We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court,” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, said in a statement. Microsoft has struck 10-year licensing agreements with some game platforms that will ensure those titles remain available. Antitrust officials from the European Union blessed the deal last month, saying that Microsoft’s concessions were enough to address its competition concerns.

Persons: ” Brad Smith Organizations: CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, Court, Northern, Northern District of, FTC, Sony, “, Antitrust, European Union Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, U.S, European

☆ Amazon's iRobot deal faces July 6 EU antitrust deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 1 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 6 whether to clear Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) $1.7 billion acquisition of the maker of robot vacuum cleaner iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), according to a European Commission filing on Thursday. The EU competition enforcer can either clear the deal with or without remedies after its preliminary review or it can open a four-month long investigation if it has serious concerns. "We’re working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of this merger," an Amazon spokesperson said. Amazon has said it would continue to supply iRobot products to other retailers and keep them compatible with other companies' voice assistants. Critics say the iRobot acquisition presents a privacy nightmare because it would expand personal home information in the company's arsenal.

Persons: Alexa, Foo Yun Chee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Amazon, EU, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Regulators, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ Meta offers to limit use of ad data to address UK competition concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - Britain's competition watchdog on Friday said social media giant Meta (META.O) had offered to limit its use of other businesses' advertising data for its Facebook Marketplace service to address the regulator's competition concerns. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was minded to accept the commitments, which include advertisers being able to opt out of allowing their data to be used to improve the Facebook Marketplace classified ads platform. CMA executive director of enforcement Michael Grenfell said: "Reducing the risk of Meta unfairly exploiting the data of businesses who advertise on its platform for its own competitive advantage could help many UK businesses who advertise there. "We are now consulting on these commitments which we believe, at this stage, will address our concerns." Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU decision clearing $69 billion Microsoft, Activision deal expected May 15, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Activision games "Call of Duty" are pictured in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo AllegriBRUSSELS, May 10 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are set to approve Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O) next week, with May 15 as the likeliest date, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission's imminent clearance comes nearly three weeks after the UK competition authority blocked the deal, the biggest-ever deal in gaming, over concerns it would hinder competition in cloud gaming. U.S. distributor Valve Corp, owner of the world's largest video game distribution platform, Steam, declined a contract saying it trusts Microsoft. (This story has been corrected to say that Valve does not have a licensing deal with Microsoft in paragraph 4)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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