The Bundeskartellamt has issued a warning letter regarding the planned acquisition of sole control of the n-tv news channel by RTL Television GmbH, Cologne. RTL already holds 50 per cent of the shares in n-tv Nachrichtenfernsehen GmbH & Co.KG, Cologne, and intends to take over the remaining 50 per cent stake held by the partner CNN/Time Warner.

The proposed concentration affects the national TV advertising market in Germany. In this market the RTL group, Luxemburg, with its TV channels RTL, VOX, Super RTL and n-tv, already holds a collective dominant position together with ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Unterföhring. According to the knowledge gained so far by the Bundeskartellamt the planned acquisition of the remaining 50 per cent stake in n-tv would secure and thus strengthen this collective dominant position.

The n-tv channel, which has so far been under joint control, would be solely controlled by the RTL group after the planned acquisition. According to the investigations made so far this would result in increased and intensified possibilities to take influence on n-tv. After the merger the RTL group would be able to take all decisions on its own and control all business activities without having to consider the interests of CNN/Time Warner. Moreover, due to a further harmonisation of the market-relevant and business-relevant structural characteristics, the planned merger would lead to a further concentration of the existing duopoly between the RTL group and the ProSiebenSat.1 group.

The parties to the merger have until 16 February 2006 to comment on this warning.