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<p>Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
has jurisdiction to intervene in a transaction involving a media company if they have
reasonable grounds for suspecting that the transaction is or may amount to a ‘relevant
merger situation’. A relevant merger situation is where two or more entities cease
to be distinct, and at least one of the statutory thresholds around turnover and/or
market share is met.</p><p>Where jurisdiction is established, the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport has discretion to intervene if they believe that it is
or may be the case that one or more public interest considerations outlined under
Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 is relevant.</p><p>For transactions involving
newspapers, these public interest considerations are: the need for accurate presentation
of news; the need for free expression of opinion; and the need, in relation to every
different audience in the United Kingdom or in a particular area or locality of the
United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of
the media enterprises serving that audience.</p><p>Further details of the process
and grounds for intervention are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/40/contents"
target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
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