John Malone’s Liberty Global has set its sights on the German cable market, according to reports in the German Handelsblatt. Following the acquisition of Unitymedia last November, the US media company is now looking at Kabel BW.
Cable Europe Labs launches middleware initiative
Cable Europe Labs has announced the launch of a European Middleware Initiative aimed at developing a next generation middleware specification for the European cable market. The technology arm of trade association Cable Europe says the move will accelerate the development of an open middleware platform for applications and services.
Liberty Global in €3.5bn Unity Media purchase
Liberty Global, the US-owner of UPC Broadband, is to purchase the German cablenet Unity Media for €3.5 billion. Private equity owners Finakabel Holdings/BC Partners and Apollo Management were expected to launch an IPO yesterday (November 12), when the operator announced its third quarter results, being named as the most likely date for an announcement.
Four new channels on Unitymedia
The German cable operator Unitymedia will add four new channels to its digital line-up – Servus TV, Lust Pur, ZDFneo and Russia Today – from November 1.
Unitymedia rolls out DOCSIS 3.0
In November, German cabler Unitymedia will roll out 120 Mbps DOCSIS 3.0 broadband access in the cities of Cologne and Aachen as part of a new high speed flat-rate triple play offer. Pricing will be set closer to launch.