The eventual purchase of Digital+ by Telefónica should be analyzed by Brussels, according to the president of the CNMC

José María Quemada warns that the eventual operation has “important implications” for competition in Spain.

José María Quemada, president of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), stated this Tuesday in an informative meeting organized by Europa Press that the possible purchase of Digital Plus by Telefónica should be analyzed by Brussels due to its community dimension, and has warned that the eventual operation has "important implications" for competition in Spain.

“It is a question of community dimension,” stated the head of the Spanish macro-regulator to Europa Press.

Thus, Marín Quemada has explained that, only if any of the affected operators consider it appropriate or if the Spanish regulator itself, arguing the importance of the market in Spain, requests to attract the study of the matter for itself, the decision on the operation could fall to the Spanish regulator.

For the president of the CNMC, the purchase of the Prisa pay television platform by Telefónica may have “important implications” for all of Spain, since with this acquisition Telefónica could add new television services to its current offer that it would be necessary to see if other operators can easily replicate, at the same time that the prices at which these offers are made would have to be studied.

Prisa announced at the end of February that the Telefónica and Mediaset groups have fifteen days to decide whether to buy the part of the shares that the communication group has in Digital Plus, after Prisa had reduced its participation to below 30%. The deadline to exercise this option ends tomorrow, March 12. Telefónica currently owns 22% of the television platform.