The current procedure was initiated on 6 August 2001, following a concentration operation regarding the acquisition of LISBOA TV - Informação e Multimédia, S.A. by SIC - Sociedade Independente de Comunicação S.A. The abovementioned notified operation was subject to a clearance decision by the Secretary of State for Commerce and Services, under the terms of Order no. 809/2000, of 28 August. The aforementioned Ministerial Order stated that "The 'Partnership Agreement' entered into between SIC, PT MULTIMÉDIA - SERVIÇOS DE TELECOMUNICAÇÕES E MULTIMÉDIA, SGPS, S.A. and CATVP - TV CABO PORTUGAL, S.A. (...) contains (...) clauses restricting competition, which, as they do not amount to additional restrictions indispensable to the implementation of the same transaction, must be analysed independently, within the scope of Article 2 of Decree-Law No. 371/93 of 29 October 1993". The defendants SIC - Sociedade Independente de Comunicação, S.A., PT Multimédia - Serviços de Telecomunicações e Multimédia, SGPS, S.A. and CATVP - TV Cabo Portugal, S.A. committed an infringement, firstly, by agreeing to grant SIC a preferential right in the supply of channels for CATVP's basic package, which had as its object and potential effect the restriction of competition in the national market for the operation of non-conditional access channels in Portuguese and produced in Portugal and, secondly, by further agreeing to grant the PT Multimédia Group an exclusive right of access and marketing of SIC's channels, which has as its object and effect the restriction of competition in the national market for pay-TV services. The condemnatory decision was issued on 8 August 2006, imposing the following fines: SIC €540,000 and PT Multimédia €2,500,000.