Competition head backs media reforms

The head of the competition watchdog has backed a shake-up of "redundant" media ownership laws.

As the federal government renews consultations with industry heads, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says people can now read overseas newspapers as easily as local ones and stream endless content.

"Changing technology may have made the initial justification for the two-out-of-three rule, from 30 years ago, redundant," Mr Sims told the RBB Economics Conference in Sydney, adding the same applied to the 75 per cent the reach rule.