Latest in European Commission

Discovery said Wednesday that the European Commission has granted unconditional antitrust clearance of the company's proposed acquisition of AT&T’s WarnerMedia business. "Approval from the European Commission is a key milestone toward completing our proposed transaction with AT&T," said Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who…

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reported first-quarter earnings of $9.50 per share, well below Wall Street forecasts, as a European Commission fine put a dent in its results. Not counting the $1.7 billion fine, earnings would have hit $11.90 a share. Analysts had expected $10.58. Revenue gained nearly 17% over…

Apple has issued a lengthy response to Spotify’s complaint before European Commission regulators, which was issued earlier this week. The iPhone maker dismisses it as “misleading rhetoric” that conceals its streaming competitor’s financial motives. Spotify told the EC that Apple’s 30% “tax” on Spotify streams…

European antitrust regulators approved the Walt Disney Co.’s $71.3-billion offer to buy 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets today, on the condition that it sell its stake in certain television channels in Europe. Disney will have to divest its interests in History, H2, Crime & Investigation, Blaze and Lifetime in…

Disney has offered concessions to European regulators in order to gain approval of its acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox. The European Commission confirmed the move today and said it was extending its deadline for reviewing the deal to November 11 from October 19. It did not provide details about what Disney has…

Disney is set to discover whether its $71B takeover of Fox will get a stamp of approval from European regulators by the end of next month. Antitrust regulators from the European Union will make a decision on the case by October 21. This comes after Disney filed for European approval on September 14. Regulators will…

European Union lawmakers today adopted a revised negotiating position on a series of controversial copyright rules known as the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. European Parliament members voted 438 to 226 on the reforms that seek fair compensation for copyrighted material, but which still face…

Google parent Alphabet blasted past Wall Street’s earnings estimates in its second quarter, sending the stock up in after-hours trading. The company reported per-share earnings of $11.75, excluding the impact of a $5.07 billion charge in connection with a European Commission fine. That compares with analysts’ earnings…

The European Commission has unconditionally approved Comcast's bid to buy European pay-TV operator Sky, stating that a deal would raise no competition concerns in Europe. The European regulator noted that while any such move would bring together Sky with Comcast's assets such as Universal Pictures and TV channels such…

European Commission investigators today raided the UK offices of Fox Networks Group in London as part of an antitrust probe regarding sports rights. The EC afterward confirmed the “unnaounced inspections,” saying it “has concerns that the companies involved may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels…

PBS has ordered a big-budget volcano documentary from True To Nature, the British production company founded by the former head of the BBC's Natural History Unit Wendy Darke. The U.S. public broadcaster has commissioned Volcano 24, which Darke will co-produce with the factual division of Germany's ZDF Enterprises. The…

European film and TV producers and distributors along with the major Hollywood studios will be breathing a sigh of relief after it emerged that the European Parliament voted to reject plans that would have likely abolished territory-by-territory sales of TV series and movies. Politicians in Strasbourg voted 344 to 265…