<article><p>China&#8217;s commerce ministry will launch an anti-monopoly probe into Comcast Corp&#8217;s planned purchase of DreamWorks Animation after receiving unspecified complaints that the U.S. media deal could hurt competition in the Chinese market.</p></article>

<p>China&#8217;s commerce ministry will launch an anti-monopoly probe into Comcast Corp&#8217;s planned purchase of DreamWorks Animation after receiving unspecified complaints that the U.S. media deal could hurt competition in the Chinese market.</p>
<p>The investigation comes as China&#8217;s anti-trust watchdog has hardened its stance on companies striking deals without seeking its clearance, with the body naming, shaming and fining almost a dozen firms over the past year for &#8220;gun-jumping&#8221;.</p>
<p>Comcast, owner of NBCUniversal, said in April it would pay $3.8 billion to buy DreamWorks, the producer of the &#8220;Kung Fu Panda&#8221; and &#8220;Shrek&#8221; franchises, which was also one of the first Hollywood names to open a production studio in China.</p>
<p>&#8220;Recently MOFCOM received complaints regarding Comcast&#8217;s decision to buy out DreamWorks, claiming that the deal would hurt competition in the Chinese market,&#8221; Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday. Shen didn&#8217;t say exactly what the complaints were, nor who made them.</p>
<p>China&#8217;s film market, the world&#8217;s second largest, is a magnet for film producers looking to tap the country&#8217;s 1.4 billion people, even though there are signs that stellar box office growth may be starting to slow.</p>
<p>Reuters was unable to reach Comcast or DreamWorks for immediate comment out of regular U.S. business hours.</p>
<p>Separately, China&#8217;s commerce ministry said on Friday it would investigate the planned merger of ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and the Chinese unit of U.S. rival Uber over anti-monopoly concerns.</p>
<h4><em>Reuters</em></h4>


China's commerce ministry will launch an anti-monopoly probe into Comcast Corp's planned purchase of DreamWorks Animation.

China launches anti-trust probe into Comcast, DreamWorks deal

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China launches anti-trust probe into Comcast, DreamWorks deal

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