The BIG Ticket: FTC To Enforce Lina Khan's Merger Guidelines
Friday, February 21st, 2025
Hi!
I’ve written about antitrust law here a few times.
I studied a little about business law at the University of Alabama.
What I learned stuck with me because the law, its enforcement, and the constraints of the market are essential to setting winning strategies.
When I saw the news about the new FTC chair affirming Lina Khan’s new merger rules from 2023, I perked up because that shines attention back on the DOJ’s case against Live Nation.
Why am I bringing this up?
A few things:
Keeping the antitrust enforcement rules in place is a signal that the Live Nation case isn’t likely to be dismissed straight away.
These antitrust rules will also help fight further consolidation in the entertainment business.
Tougher rules on antitrust should open the door for more investment and new businesses in the business of live entertainment and sports.
There are other things to consider:
What will the economy look like going forward?
Inflation!
Chance…who knows what crazy actions might happen?
This story could be a big one.
It could be meaningless.
That’s tough to know.
But the signals are that tougher antitrust scrutiny will continue.
So, pay attention.
P.S. As I was preparing this one, someone in the Slack Channel brought up the rumors about StubHub being a potential buyer of Vivid Seats…and how the regulatory environment might be favorable to that acquisition.
Look at me, ahead of the curve.
I think that the regulatory environment is very uncertain. To try and make a prediction one way or the other now would be guessing.
Educated guessing, maybe.
But guessing all the same.
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