The High Court has dismissed an appeal by Fairfax and NZME to merge. We remain very much of the view that the New Zealand media sector is an exciting place to operate and, while there are headwinds in some areas, there are real opportunities in others. Part of the decision relied on the fact that a merger would reduce media plurality - effectively the number of voices in the media. The commission said it was obvious the merger would result in cost savings and synergies for the media companies, otherwise they wouldn't do it. "This merger would concentrate media ownership and influence to an unprecedented extent for a well-established modern liberal democracy.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 18, 2017 19:30 UTC