The Bookseller.com

7th September 2008

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Travel publishers mixed on OFT appeal

10.06.08 Victoria Arnstein

Time Out’s approach to the Office of Fair Trading asking it to investigate the acquisition of Lonely Planet by the BBC—a deal brokered in October last year—has met with mixed response from other travel publishers.

Donald Greig, managing director at Bradt Travel Guides, said he would support Time Out and Rough Guides, which also requested information from the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act last year, in seeking greater clarity over the deal. “In a market as busy as ours, anything other than a level playing field is good for neither the industry nor, at the end of the day, the consumer,” he added.

Another travel publisher who declined to be named encouraged other publishers to express any concerns they may have in a way that suits them. “If it just one [company] on its own moaning about it is very difficult. If we all raise [our issues] together in the way that suits us, I think that is the best way to deal with it.”

Ian MacDonald, director of GeoCenter International, said he would watch any developments with interest, but added: “It would be nice to think that we would all march up Downing Street and find a minister to say ‘alright we will put a block on that deal’, but I feel it is not going to happen.”

He continued: “From our point of view, the deal has been done. At the best [Time Out’s letter] might get the BBC to be more forthcoming with explaining how the structure of the deal will be. It won’t stop the economic and commercial reality that LP has got a fantastic backer at the BBC.”

Mic Cady, editorial manager at the AA, agreed: “We thought this is the way the world had become and we had to live with it whether we liked it or not. Maybe if there had been more concerted action like this at the beginning it would have been different, I just feel that there is so much water under the bridge now that we have all moved on really.”

A BBC spokeswoman declined to comment, adding that it was a matter now for the OFT. The OFT, meanwhile, has said that it will consider whether to launch an investigation before commenting publicly.

Media Lonely Planet Bradt BBC Worldwide OFT Victoria Arnstein Time Out