ACMA gives prior approval for Seven West Media and Southern Cross Media merger – The ACMA has given prior approval for a transaction that will facilitate the proposed merger between Seven West Media Limited and Southern Cross Media Group Limited.
When completed, the transaction will result in temporary breaches of the media diversity rules in 17 commercial radio licence areas.
This includes a reduction of media diversity points in four regional commercial radio licence areas – Mt Isa and Roma (QLD), Mildura (VIC) and Bunbury (WA).
There will also be a further reduction in media diversity points in 13 licence areas in Western Australia – Albany, Bridgetown, Carnarvon, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Katanning, Merredin, Narrogin, Northam, Port Hedland and Remote Commercial Radio Service Western Zone.
The ACMA has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Southern Cross Media that it will divest commercial radio and/or commercial television broadcasting licences in the affected licence areas. This would return the media diversity points in the affected licence areas to what they were before the transaction occurred.
Media Release – ACMA
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ACMA gives prior approval for Seven West Media and Southern Cross Media merger
