ACCC raises concerns about the merger of Cengage and McGraw-Hill

Topics CAUL Business

On the 12th December 2019 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) raised preliminary competition concerns about the merger of United States-based publishers Cengage Learning and McGraw-Hill Education.

The ACCC is concerned that a proposed merger may result in higher prices, reduced quality or a more limited product range for students in Australia.

CAUL shares these concerns and has previously raised them with the ACCC in a submission to an informal review of the proposed merger in September 2019. The concerns are consistent with those raised by SPARC in their filing to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The ACCC has published a statement of issues and is seeking further information about the publication of higher educational resources in Australia, including in relation to whether there are specific higher education disciplines where Cengage and McGraw-Hill compete particularly closely.

CAUL will be providing further information in response to the Statement of Issues. Responses are due by the 20th January 2020.

Author Harry Rolf

Last modified 12 December 2019