Serbia’s Kopernikus Corporation has acquired the national TV stations Prva and O2, along with several other media interests, from Antenna Group for €180 million.
According to Kopernikus Corporation’s owner Srdjan Milovanovic, the deal still has to be approved by the anti-monopoly commission. However, this should prove a formality as antenna does not have a 40% market share.
The sale comes shortly after Kopernikus Corporation and its partner, the Polish investment fund Abris, sold Kopernikus Technology, Serbia’s second largest cable operator, to Telekom Srbija.
Kopernikus Corporation has close links with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and the opposition Alliance for Serbia has alleged that the real buyer of Prva and O2 is in fact Telekom Srbija.
In a statement, O2 says the deal also includes Prva TV Montenegro, Play Radio, six cable channels and the portals prva.rs, o2tv.rs and b92.net.
Commenting on the sale,Theo Kyriakou, shareholder and chairman of Antenna Group, said: “We are proud to have built the operations in Serbia and Montenegro into the number one television, digital, radio and content platform in those countries.
“It also demonstrates the strength of our strategy to invest in exciting media and entertainment assets in high-growth markets across Europe, and drive growth by offering the best content via every possible distribution channel.”
