A PYMNTS Company

Germany: Antitrust pressure may force Liberty Global out

By  |  December 7, 2014

US cable company Liberty Global could be pushed out of Germany due to pressure from competition authorities, reports say.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Citing unnamed sources, reports say Liberty Global may be forced to abandon the market after last year’s reversal of antitrust clearance for Liberty Global to acquire KabelBW. The reversal forced competition regulators to reexamine the takeover, made in 2011 for $4.1 billion.

    Liberty Global subsidiary Unitymedia filed a complaint against that reversal and the dispute is now before Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. The case remains pending, say reports.

    We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

    Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

    Add as Preferred Source

    But according to reports, if the decision to reexamine he takeover is upheld, Liberty Global may have to unwind the merger.

    Now, unnamed sources say Liberty Global is looking to sell Unitymedia KabelBW, the entity that emerged from the 2011 deal.

    Liberty Global also recently abandoned a bidding war with Vodafone to acquire Germany’s Kabel Deutschland, the latest evidence against Liberty Global’s expansion in the country, say reports.

    Full content: Reuters

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.