Juglander Review
Mktvartvelo: Government to block streaming service merger
The Ministry of Telecommuncations and Information has decided to back the proposal from the State Commission on Markets and Competition to block the recent merger between two leading services, Tsarmoshoba Entertainment and Khval TV.
The national government argues that the merger would reduce competition in the sector, as allowing the consolidation of two of the leading streaming services, which are said to control 49% and 33% of the viewers, leading to a monopolistic scenario, stifling innovation and limiting consumer choice. The majority opinion by the State Commission on Markets and Competition has argued that the merger could potentially that the merger could potentially lead to a situation where a dominant entity could dictate terms and violate the rights of consumers through subscription fees or content restrictions, as well as reducing the chance of a thriving and diverse sector.
Tsarmoshoba Entertainment, which main shareholders are KTV and Gunia Holding, has criticized the move as "absurd and unnecessarily interventionist", arguing that giving the nature of streaming services itself, with no technological or industrial limits for the appearance of new companies and services, the argument of the need of anti-trust additional measures would be "completely bogus". A legal representative from Ujredi corporation, which owns Khval TV, has confirmed that the firm will fight this decision in the courts, and warned about "political interference" in the decision.
The national government of Mktvartvelo, however, has described those claims as "baseless".
AJK wins Jugland's 2023-2024 women's football league
AJK defeated Hiyoken United 0-2 away to win the league title two matches before the end of the league. AJK's triumph marks the end of SK Midtenstadt's four-year reign as champions and signifies an unexpected shift in the league, after a poor season by SK Midtendstadt.
In a thrilling match, AJK showed their dominance on the pitch, securing a convincing 2-0 victory over their immediate closest challengers to the title. The first goal came in the 35th minute of the match, as midfielder Nono Masako scored after a precise pass from winger Margereta Favorin. The second goal arrived in the 68th minute, after striker Elina Ahtila latched onto a perfectly delivered cross from full-back Nora Tabaam, as she rose above the defenders to powerfully head the ball into the back of the net, sealing their win and confirming their status as league champions.
It is the 13th league title for AJK, after they had won the league for last time in the 2017-2018 season. The start of their season was not too promising, as SK Midtenstadt were expected to continue their command in the domestic league with seven league titles in the last eight seasons, and AJK suffered overwhelming
6-1 defeat by SK Midtenstadt in the KSCh-NSK Cup. However, AJK showed a stronger consistency and winning mentality compared to previous seasons, beating them two weeks later in the Juglander Supercup on penalties, and showing a strong performance in the domestic league, with only two losses in twelve matches.
On the other hand, SK Midtendstadt unexpectedly endured a season marred by inconsistency and uncharacteristic setbacks, ultimately falling short in their pursuit of another league title. Despite having a talented and experienced roster and their past successes, they struggled to find their rhythm throughout the campaign, and they are currently 5th, ten points behind AJK.
In the other match of the day, EMAC Albrektberg defeated Kaeshigai FC 2-0, rising to the second place in the league, seven points behind the already league champions.