BRUSSELS: The European Commission cleared yesterday a venture between British publisher Pearson and Germany’s Bertelsmann to create a new publishing giant, Penguin Random House.
The Commission said it judged the deal “would not raise competition concerns, in particular because the merged entity will continue to face several strong competitors.”
In October, Pearson, publisher of the iconic Penguin paperback books and owner of the Financial Times, announced with Bertelsmann plans to form a joint venture, Penguin Random House, to publish English-language titles.
Bertelsmann will hold 53 percent of the new company and Pearson the remainder, aiming to compete with new forms of publishing epitomised by online giant Amazon for both traditional and increasingly, electronic books.
AFP
