New Zealand: Closed Consultation on Commerce Commission Statement of Issues regarding AlphaTheta's proposed acquisition of Serato

On 21 February 2024, the public consultation closed on the New Zealand Commerce Commission (CC) statement of issues concerning the proposed acquisition of Serato by AlphaTheta Corporation (ATC). The CC expressed concerns about the potential substantial lessening of competition in the software and hardware markets. In particular, the CC stated that the merged entities would have the ability and incentive to foreclose competitors in the hardware market by leveraging market power in the software market. The CC is also investigating whether the merged entity would have access to commercially sensitive information of its rivals, which could adversely affect competition.