Like a MotoGP race where the checkered flag always seems out of reach, the acquisition of Spanish sports marketing specialist and MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports by American Liberty Media is still bogged down. Expected to be completed before the end of last year, the billion-dollar deal is stuck in the bureaucratic sands of the European Commission.
If it had depended only on Liberty Media and Dorna Sports In Madrid, this sprint towards fusion would have already crossed the finish line. But as the columnists of speedweek and the latest news from the beginning of this year is that the agreement is mired in the complexities of European competition law. Brussels has put the brakes on what seemed to be a race won in advance.
The latest investigation report revealed a new twist in this obstacle course: the deadline for a decision has been extended postponed by an additional 20 working days. As of now, the new deadline is set at 16rd June 2025 rather than May 14th….
The term "provisional deadline" used by Brussels could worry Liberty Media and Dorna
The Commission's Phase II investigation, scheduled to launch by the end of 2024, will examine every twist and turn of this transaction, probing every officially recorded concern. The term " provisional deadline " used by Brussels suggests that this race could still get longer.
For all involved, this scrutiny means that the originally planned schedule is postponed by an entire season, also delaying the expected positive effects of this merger. The working team's main mission is to determine whether this union between the two companies could create a bottleneck in the market for motor sports broadcasting licenses, thus limiting competition.
But all is not lost for Liberty Medium ; this additional time also gives them another avenue to refine their strategy and convince the guardians of European competition law that this acquisition is a legitimate and beneficial race...
