OFT To Look At Peel's Pinewood Offer
The Office Of Fair Trading is looking into Peel Media's planned £96 million takeover of Pinewood Studios. It aims to issue a response on the proposed deal by June 21. If the OFT thinks the takeover would adversely affect competition, it may refer the deal to the Competition Commission.
The OFT's decision to look at the deal is presumably tied to the fact that Peel is also behind the MediaCityUK complex in Salford (now home to major chunks of the BBC and ITV). If the company is given the greenlight to take over Pinewood and also secures planning permission to expand the site, it will be a formidable player across both film and television.
