US Orders 6 TV Companies To Stop Sharing Data To Protect Competition - Justice Department

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2018) The United States has reached a settlement requiring six US broadcast television networks to stop sharing competitively sensitive information in an attempt to preserve competition in the industry, the US Department of Justice said in a press release.

"The proposed settlement prohibits the direct or indirect sharing of such competitively sensitive information," the release said on Tuesday. "The [Justice] Department has determined that prohibiting this conduct would resolve the antitrust concerns raised as a result of the conduct of these defendants."

The settlement applies to some of the biggest US broadcast television companies: Sinclair Broadcast Group; Raycom Media; Tribune Media; Meredith Corporation; Griffin Communications; and Dreamcatcher Broadcasting, the release said.

The Justice Department's Antitrust Division filed a lawsuit earlier on Tuesday, which included a proposed settlement that will require court approval to take effect, the release added.

The proposed settlement further requires that defendants cooperate in the Justice Department's ongoing investigation, and to adopt rigorous antitrust compliance and reporting measures to prevent similar anti-competitive conduct in the future, the release said. The settlement has a seven-year term.