The President of UOKiK has granted her consent to the takeover of Onet.pl by Ringier Axel Springer Media. The conducted proceedings reavealed that the transaction will not result in a restriction of competition

Ringier Axel Springer Media is a holding company established in 2012 by two media concerns - Axel Springer and Ringier. It deals with publishing over 100 newspapers and periodicals as well as runs tv and radio stations. In Poland the company issues press titles such as Fakt, Przegląd Sportowy, Forbes, Newsweek and Auto Świat. Moreover, the entity exercises a joint control over Infor Biznes, the owner of Dziennik Gazety Prawnej. Onet.pl Group is involved in management of Internet portals and sale of advertising space in electonic media. It runs a several dozen of websites, e.g. Sympatia.pl, Onet.poczta, Zumi and PcLab.pl. Onet Poland Group (controlled by TVN) owns a majority package of shares of this company.

Under law a transaction is subject to notification to the antitrust authority, if it involves undertakings whose total turnover in the preceding year exceeded EUR 1 billion worldwide and EUR 50 million in Poland

As a result of implementing this concentration, Ringier Axel Springer Media will exercise a joint control over Onet.pl by means of a special purpose entity.

The notification of intended concentration was submitted to UOKiK in July this year. Having conducted the antimonopoly proceedings, the President of UOKiK decided that this transaction will not result in a restriction of competition in the territory of Poland. The activity of participants of this concentration overlaps on the markets of online advertising and thematic portals only. However, the total share of undertakings on these two markets does not exceed 20%.

Under the law, a transaction is subject to notification to the antimonopoly authority if it involves undertakings whose total turnover in the year preceding the notification exceeded EUR 1 billion worldwide or EUR 50 mln in Poland.

In the event the concentration to which consent was issued has not been implemented within 2 years from the date of issuance, then such decision is no longer valid. The website of UOKiK contains the data on all antimonopoly proceedings in concentration cases. For more information on rules for merging undertakings, please follow the specially drawn up materials.

Additional information for the media:
Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Phone: +48 22 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 314
Fax: +48 22 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWFsZ29yemF0YS5jaWVsb2NoQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]