A dispute threatening the completion of the sale of the Bulgarian national commercial station bTV by News Corp to CME has taken a new and surprising twist.
Novinite reports that the country’s Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) has launched an investigation into CableTel/Eurocom on allegations that they constitute a monopoly.
The Commission has acted on a tip off from bTV, which is in conflict over carriage of the thematic channel bTV Cinema – and it is now also reported bTV Comedy – on CableTel/Eurocom’s networks.
CableTel/Eurocom were acquired by the Swedish equity group EQT V last October in a deal worth over €200 million, while News Corp plans to sell bTV and and its other Bulgarian assets to CME for $400 million (€290.6 million).
