Cunning as a Fox - Dutch Competition Authority Clears Long-Term Acquisition of Dutch Football Broadcasting Rights

Abstract

On August 8, 2012, Eredivisie Media & Marketing C.V. (EMM), the media and commercial arm of the Premier football league (Eredivisie) in the Netherlands, announced a long-term partnership with Fox International Channels Inc (Fox). On November 29, 2012, the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) approved the broadcasting deal, which is the largest of its kind in the history of Dutch football.The NMa adopted a formal decision, clearing the acquisition of EMM by Fox, and an informal opinion on the proposed modes of exploitation of the Eredivisie broadcasting rights. This article scrutinizes these decisions and reveals a worrying sign of competition law enforcement fatigue in the area of sports media rights.

Keywords: competition law, sports broadcasting, football rights, media, Fox, acquisition, exclusivity football