ANGA Cable 2010 – Cologne. The head of Unitymedia has said the second largest cablenet in Germany is on the lookout for further takeover targets in the market. In an interview with Financial Times Deutschland Gene Musselmann, who is also the President of UPC Broadband, said he anticipated a consolidation in the market.
Top of the list are the so-called Level 4 operators that provide the larger cable companies with access to residential housing. “If an opportunity arises, we would buy these companies and take over their expiring contracts,” Musselmann is quoted as saying. He said such a strategy would enable Unitymedia to extend its footprint by several hundred thousand. However, a spokeswoman for Unitymedia told Broadband TV News that such a strategy was unlikely, given the close co-operation between Unitymedia and its Level 5 partners.
Unitymedia, acquired by Liberty Global in January, currently has 4.5 million customers in North Rhine Westphalia and Hessen.
On Tuesday, Unitymedia managing director, told ANGA Cable delegates that while the cableco was looking to grow the business, any acquisition must first be passed by the competition authorities.
