Simpler than the Offside Rule? Intra-Brand Competition in Premium Football TV Rights

(by Andreas Stephan) Why should an English pub landlady not be able to view English Premier League games using a Greek satellite subscription? Last week, Advocate General Juliane Kokott delivered her opinion on a competition law battle between two formidable groups – the FA Premier League and English pub landlords and landladies.  Although the case concerns Karen Murphy, the proprietor of the ‘Red, White and Blue’ pub in Portsmouth, hundreds of other pub proprietors keenly await the outcome of this test case.

EU Commission Steers Clear of another Antitrust Disaster in Greek Air Transport, but for how long?

(by Andreas Stephan) This month, the European Commission blocked the proposed merger between Greece’s two main airlines, Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines. What seemed like an insignificant concentration between two minor players in international passenger air transport would have destroyed competition in the market for domestic flights in Greece. Olympic and Aegean make up around 77% of flights out of Athens International Airport. While the decision is beneficial to European air passengers travelling within Greece in the near future, can two Greek airlines survive the economic downturn?