The Bundeskartellamt has today cleared, in the first phase of merger control, the creation of a joint venture between Nordwest-Medien GmbH & Co. KG, Oldenburg, which is part of the Nordwest Mediengruppe (NWM group), and DK Medien GmbH & Co. KG, Delmenhorst, which is part of the NOZ/mh:n MEDIEN group.

The joint venture is to jointly market advertising space in the parties’ regional dailies and advertising newspapers circulated in the Oldenburg district, the city of Delmenhorst and neighbouring areas.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “The joint venture will have no impact on readers in the region affected. Our examination has shown that from the advertising customers’ perspective there are only partial overlaps between the circulation areas of the dailies and advertising newspapers in question. We therefore do not consider the market to be a single market. In addition, advertising customers will continue to have alternatives to choose from in the areas affected. The project could be cleared within the one-month deadline of first-phase merger control.”

The joint venture will market advertising space in the circulation areas of Oldenburger Kreiszeitung and Nordwest Sonntagsblatt in the Oldenburg district – which belong to the NWM group – and of Kreisblatt am Sonntag and Delmenhorster Kreisblatt – which belong to the NOZ group. The advertising space of the parties’ other dailies or advertising newspapers will not be marketed jointly.

The Bundeskartellamt’s investigations have shown that the parties’ titles do not belong to the same advertising markets as there are no sufficient overlaps in their circulation areas. Where there are overlaps, advertising customers will continue to have – sometimes several – alternative third-party dailies and advertising newspapers to choose from. Seeing that no other adverse effects on competition were to be expected and that the joint venture’s activities will be limited to the marketing of advertising space within the scope described above, the project could be cleared without initiating second-phase proceedings.