The European Commission has confirmed that it made unannounced visits to the offices of companies involved in the distribution of sports media rights.
European officials were accompanied by the local competition authorities in several Member States as they inspected premises of media organisations that may have “violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.”
The Commission clarified that the inspections concern Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and are a preliminary step in any investigation into the suspected anticompetitive practices with ”no legal deadline to complete inquiries”.
The operation is confidential but The Telegraph reported that 21st Century Fox was one of the companies investigated in London, and a spokesman has since confirmed that Fox is cooperating with the Commission.Click edit button to change this text.