The Hungarian national transmission company Antenna Hungária is to be re-nationalised, with TDF agreeing to sell its stake to the state holding National Information and Communications Services (NISZ).
Under the terms of the deal, which will be completed on May 30, TDF will be reimbursed Antenna Hungária’s debt, with the transmission company valued at HUF55.9 billion (approximately €180 million) and with an adjusted EBITDA of HUF5.59 billion.
TDF launched a tender for the complete ownership of Antenna Hungária in 2013 in which the Hungarian government came forward as a buyer.
The deal is in line with the government’s strategy of bringing national utility assets under public ownership, according to Attila Zoltan Szabo, the CEO of NISZ.
Antenna Hungária has played in a key role in Hungary’s transition to digital broadcasting and currently operates the FTA DTT service MinDig TV and a pay DTT platform named MinDig TV Extra.