The French Minister of Economics sanctions for the second time companies for a breach of merger remedies (TF1 / AB Groupe)

By a departmental order on August 21, 2007, the Minister, for the first time sanctioned a company with a €100,000 fine for breach of merger remedies subscribed for the realization of the operation of concentration [1]. In just over a year, by a departmental order dated November 17, 2008, the Minister sanctioned, for the second time, two companies for non-observance of merger commitments. In its decision dated October 27, 2004, the Minister had granted conditional clearance to the acquisition by the companies, Télévision Française 1 (hereinafter “TF1”) and AB Groupe (hereinafter “AB”), of 80% of the capital of Télé Monte Carlo (hereinafter “TMC”) and of its subsidiary, Monégasque des Ondes, (hereinafter “MDO”) and the transfer of this holding to the joint company Monte Carlo