The Competition Bureau has given a green light to the proposed buyout of Alliance Atlantis by CanWest Global, having found no grounds, it says, to block the $2.3-billion deal.

The bureau informed both companies of its approval on Monday, following a study of how the buyout would affect advertising dollars in the affected markets. A spokesperson for the bureau tells Playback Daily that it had ‘no issues’ with the deal. She added that the bureau will release a more detailed paper, on buyouts in general, later this year, looking to address issues raised by the recent wave of big media acquisitions.

The Competition Bureau conducted a similar study, with the same conclusion, on the buyout of CHUM by CTVglobemedia.

The matter will now go before the CRTC.