5 June 2014: Magazine Press

The Autorité de la concurrence clears the acquisition of Le Nouvel Observateur magazine by Pierre Bergé, Xavier Niel Mr Matthieu Pigasse, who already own Le Monde group

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The Autorité de la concurrence has issued a decision clearing the acquisition of Le Nouvel Observateur by Pierre Bergé, Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse via their joint organisation Le Monde Libre.

The markets in question are the press markets, and specifically the general-information magazine press. The parties involved in the transaction are:

• Le Nouvel Observateur du Monde, publisher of the Le Nouvel Observateur magazine and its associated websites;
   
• Le Monde Libre, owner of the Le Monde Group, which in addition to daily newspaper Le Monde and its supplements, publishes several magazines (including Télérama, Courrier International, Le Monde Diplomatique and La Vie), and operates the websites associated with these publications;
   
• Matthieu Pigasse also owns the company Les Éditions Indépendantes which publishes the magazine Les Inrockuptibles and its associated website.

The Autorité deemed that the transaction was unlikely to harm competition, insofar as the parties’ cumulative market share is still limited across all magazine press markets. Moreover, the new entity will continue to face strong competitors such as L’Express-Roularta, Le Point, Le Figaro, Lagardère Active, Prima Media and also Marianne.

> Full text of Decision 14-DCC-76 of 5 June 2014 will be published shortly on the Autorité de la concurrence website

> Press contact: André Piérard – Tel. (+33) 1 55 04 02 28