The Belgian incumbent Belgacom has made a first approach to acquire the TV activities of the Interkabel cable consortium. The four operators involved – Integan, Interelektra, PBE and WVEM – have already reached an agreement to sell these assets to Telenet. In an effort to stop this deal, Belgacom has recently filed a complaint with the Antwerp court. The company claims there should have been an open tender, since the four companies are publicly owned. Now, Belgacom has sent a letter expressing interest in acquiring the 800,000 TV homes the consortium serves. The letter does not constitute a formal offer, a spokesperson said, only an invitation to open negotiations. The Interkabel/Telenet deal is believed to be worth between €340 – 500 million.
About Robert Briel
Arnhem-based Robert covers the Benelux, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as IPTV, web TV, connected TV and OTT. Email Robert at rbriel@broadbandtvnews.com.