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| VCP advises ORS on its acquisition of broadcasting operations in Bulgaria |
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BTC divests NURTS, its broadcasting operations to Oesterreichische Rundfunksender GmbH & Co KG, Austria
Sofia – Bulgarian Telecommunications Company AD, ("BTC"), (listed on the Bulgaria Stock Exchange), today announced that it has agreed to sell its broadcasting operation – National Unit Radio and TV Systems (“NURTS”), to Oesterreichische Rundfunksender GmbH & Co KG (“ORS”). The purchaser is a major strategic EU investor operating in the broadcasting business. ORS has been selected through a competitive international tender. The closing of this transaction is expected after receiving the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.
NURTS is the leading provider of radio and television broadcasting services through its unique network of over 800 strategically located sites covering nearly 100% of the Bulgarian territory. NURTS offers a nationwide microwave transmission network carrying TV, radio, voice and data transmissions, provides collocation services and manages a state-of-the art satellite teleport. Since 2006 NURTS has been developing the Sofia experimental DVB-T multiplex. NURTS was until now a division within BTC group.
Bernard Moscheni, the CEO of BTC said: “NURTS’ broadcasting business was considered as a non-core activity for BTC. In accordance with our strategic plan, the disposal of NURTS will allow us to better focus on our core activities: fixed, mobile and data services. We are delighted to have ORS as a strategic investor that will provide the know-how and necessary investment to bring NURTS into the digital broadcasting age. NURTS’ clients and ultimately the Bulgaria will benefit from new services.”
Michael Wagenhofer, the CEO of ORS commented: “NURTS is currently well positioned in the analogue radio and television broadcasting business and is therefore well placed to play a leading role in the migration to digital broadcasting in Bulgaria. As a strategic investor ORS will build on its digitalization experience and work together with the customers and the government to ensure a smooth switch-over. We see strong potential in the Bulgarian market and we are committed to bringing our customers new high quality services and to further develop NURTS’ strong position. We see a bright future for NURTS as a part of the ORS Group.“
The international investment bank Lazard has advised BTC on this transaction and Vienna Capital Partners acted as advisor to ORS.
About BTC
BTC is the Bulgarian leading telecommunications operator. With close to 7,000 professionals, BTC is one of the largest employers of the country. BTC’s team strives for excellence and is guided by the values of customer orientation, honesty, dynamism and a high degree of professionalism to ensure the best services to all its customers.
BTC offers a full range of telecommunication services – fixed-line and mobile telephony, high-speed Internet and data transfer. Both business and residential clients can receive all their necessary telecommunication services from one provider, tailored to their specific needs. As of today the company has 2.1 million fixed-line telephone subscribers, 1.3 million mobile service users and above 240,000 clients of high-speed ADSL.
About ORS
The Austrian Broadcasting Services (ORS GmbH & Co KG) is among others responsible for setup, operation and maintenance of technical DVB-T infrastructure in Austria. The company derived from the ORF Broadcasting Technology and was founded in the beginning of 2005. Its shareholders are ORF (60%) and Medicur Sendeanlagen GmbH – a member of the Raiffeisen-Group (40%). As the Austrian leading service provider for analogue and digital broadcast technology, ORS operates a spacious station network of around 500 stations. Furthermore ORS is a technical service operator for digital satellite transmission in Europe. Among its customers are well-known TV and radio program operators as ORF, ATV, Puls 4, gotv, P3tv, Ö1, Ö3 and mobile network operators like mobilkom austria, Orange and telering or Energy operators as EVN.
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