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    FTC appeals judge’s ruling that would allow Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard takeover

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments959 Views
    An image from Activision's Call of Duty is shown on a smartphone near a photograph of the Microsoft logo in this photo taken in New York, Thursday, June 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
    WASHINGTON (AP) --

    The Federal Trade Commission says it is appealing a judge's ruling that would have allowed Microsoft to close its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard.

    A Wednesday court filing from the FTC says it is appealing it to the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

    Antitrust enforcers at the FTC have been trying to stop Microsoft's $68.7 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard, maker of popular game franchises like Call of Duty, arguing it will harm competition in the video game industry.

    But in a Tuesday ruling, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC's request to block the deal from closing. She said the FTC hadn't shown that the merger would cause serious harm and was unlikely to prevail if it took the case to a full trial.

    Microsoft had promised to pay Activision Blizzard a $3 billion breakup fee if it can't close the deal by Tuesday, which will mark 18 months since it was announced. But both companies could also agree to delay that deadline.

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    Tags:Activision BlizzardFTCMicrosoft



    Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5M U.S. viewers, a drop from last year’s Cup and the 4 Nations final

    Friday, June 20, 2025
    Florida Panthers' Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates his goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) as Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe (23) reacts during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

    U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago.

    An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers' series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable is down from 4.17 million last year when the final was on over-the-air TV on ABC and the lowest since Tampa Bay versus Montreal in 2021.

    The share of viewers increased 15% from TNT's first Cup final in 2023 when Vegas defeated Florida. Social media engagements on NHL content were up 32% over the course of the playoffs.

    An average of 3.8 million viewers watched the final in Canada on Sportsnet, with Connor McDavid looking for his first championship. The 1.8 million on average for the playoffs, which included five out of the 16 teams involved being based in Canada, is a 6% increase from a year ago.

    Ratings for the Cup final were significantly lower than the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the return of international competition featuring the NHL's best players. The final between the U.S. and Canada was watched by 9.3 million people in the U.S. and 10.7 million in Canada, after the six round-robin games averaged 4.6 million in North America.

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