Televisa tightens Mexico TV market grip with Cablecom deal: regulator

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican regulators said on Tuesday that broadcaster Televisa has substantial power in 99 municipalities across the country, as a result of its acquisition of Mexican cable company Cablecom last year. Last August Televisa, the world's biggest provider of Spanish-language TV content, purchased Cablecom, which has operations in 16 states in Mexico. In a document posted in the government gazette, Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) said that as a consequence of this acquisition, Televisa "gained substantial power, or increased (its power) in 99 relevant markets." The finding comes as Televisa is being probed for possible nationwide dominance in pay-TV. In March, the IFT said it found the company had substantial power in "certain relevant markets." Last year, Televisa was declared dominant in the free-to-air TV market, and was subject to stricter rules than its competitors to promote competition in the sector. Televisa's shares were trading down 0.25 percent at 111.81 pesos per share on Tuesday afternoon. (Reporting by Tomas Sarmiento; Writing by Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein; Editing by David Gregorio)