Microsoft-Activision Deal Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

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🗓️ 22 September 2023

⏱️ 16 minutes

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Summary

A.M. Edition for Sept. 22. U.K. regulators said today that Microsoft’s revised $75 billion takeover plan resolved most of its antitrust concerns, setting up the deal to move forward a s soon as next month. Plus, House Republicans split on next steps for funding the government as a shutdown looms. And WSJ reporter Sebastian Herrera explains how Amazon is wrestling with competition from rivals Temu and Shein. Luke Vargas hosts.Correction: The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority will be consulting markets on Microsoft’s proposed restructured deal with Activision until Oct. 6. An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly said Oct. 8. (Corrected on Sept. 22) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Techno's briefing is supported by FTI Consulting, from the world's largest cyber breaches to global
0:05.4	fraud investigations. FTI Consulting is the number one expert-based firm organizations
0:10.7	turn to and there are moments of truth. Learn more at FTIconsulting.com.
0:20.8	Microsoft's Activision Takeover is set to clear its final regulatory hurdle.
0:26.1	Plus, House Republicans split on the next steps for funding the government as a shutdown looms.
0:31.5	This is nothing more than politics is usual and I won't be supporting it.
0:36.3	And Amazon wrestles with competition from rivals Timu and Shien.
0:41.0	It's Friday, September 22. I'm Luke Fargis for The Wall Street Journal and here is the AM
0:45.9	edition of What's News. The Top Headlines and Business Stories Moving Your World Today.
0:56.5	Microsoft's long-awaited deal to buy Activision Blizzard seems to have all but
1:01.2	cleared its final regulatory hurdle. With the UK's competition and markets authority
1:06.6	saying today that Microsoft's proposals to modify its $75 billion takeover of the gaming company
1:12.4	addressed competition concerns. General reporter Kim McCrayl has been covering the deal since
1:18.5	it was announced 18 months ago and began facing regulatory challenges around the world.
1:24.1	And she told us that the British announcement opens the door to the deal finally going through.
1:29.1	This has been a long-running saga for Microsoft where they're trying to get approval for the
1:33.3	deal to buy Activision Blizzard. They got a rejection from the UK regulator earlier this year.
1:38.8	They came back, they changed the structure of the deal and another attempt to get it approved.
1:44.3	And the news we've got today is that on a preliminary basis, the UK regulator is saying
1:49.2	we're pretty happy with what Microsoft has put forward.
1:52.1	And with that preliminary seal of approval, Kim says that Microsoft and Activision
1:56.7	may be able to move forward with the takeover soon as next month.
	...

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