MILAN (Reuters) – An Amsterdam court has suspended until Sept. 1 a planned merger of Italy’s top commercial broadcaster Mediaset and its Spanish unit under a Dutch holding entity, three sources close to the matter said on Friday.
Controlled by the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Mediaset wants to use the new entity to build alliances with peers in Europe.
Vivendi, Mediaset’s second largest shareholder, opposes the plan, fearing the changes would tighten Berlusconi’s grip over the group. It is fighting the plan in courts across Europe.
One of the sources said the court was expected to decide on the merits of the case on Sept. 1.
(Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by James Mackenzie)
