CNMC report slams Mediaset España

Mediaset España has repeatedly broken promises it made to secure regulatory approval for the merger of Telecinco and Cuatro and the subsequent sale of Prisa-owned Cuatro to Telecinco, according to a report by competition watchdog the CNMC, as reported by the Vozpópuli newspaper. 

The CNMC has reportedly found that Mediaset bundled advertising sales across the two channels, something it made a commitment not to do. 

The report also found that Mediaset set higher prices to advertisers for spots on a single channel than were justified and that the conditions created by Mediaset meant that advertisers only had access to volume discounts if they purchased advertising across both channels.

According to the CNMC report, Mediaset also failed for substantial periods of time to ensure that the advertising sales units responsible for the two channels were managed separately.