Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Mass media Advertising Telecommunications Cable television |
Founded | 2007 |
Founder | Dragan Šolak |
Headquarters | Spicalaan 41, 2132 JG Hoofddorp , Netherlands |
Area served | Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Slovenia North Macedonia Croatia Bulgaria Greece |
Key people | Dragan Šolak (chairman of the Advisory Board) Victoriya Boklag (CEO) |
Brands | SBB Telemach BiH Telemach Croatia Telemach Montenegro Telemach Slovenia TotalTV NetTV Plus CAS Media Serbia Vivacom Nova Eon TV |
Owners | Dragan Šolak (majority) BC Partners KKR (minority) |
Website | united |
United Group B.V. is an alternative telecom provider in Southeast Europe that operates both telecommunications platforms and mass media outlets.
United Group was formed in 2007, as a Luxembourg-registered multinational entity, in a merger of Serbia Broadband (SBB) and two companies named Telemach, one in Slovenia and the other in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [1] Telemach Montenegro became a part of United Group in 2014. Telemach acquired Tušmobil on 1 April 2015. [2] This being a cable acquisition of a mobile network makes it a unique case in the region, and the first step of United Group into providing all telecommunication services (landline, mobile, television, and internet) in one household. [3]
Today, United Group is the largest alternative pay television platform in the region of the former Yugoslavia, providing television, Internet, landline and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms. [4] [5]
In 2013, the group started its worldwide OTT platform, NetTV Plus, through which it provides Pay TV and landline telephony services to the former Yugoslav diaspora. As the group’s distribution platforms developed extensively throughout the region, the next step was entering the content and advertising sales business, today represented by United Media.
In March 2014, United Group was bought by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a leading global investment firm with headquarters in New York, and U.S. 94.3 billion in assets under management. [6] [7] The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is a co-investor in the company. [8]
In September 2018, a British private equity firm BC Partners began the process of acquisition of the majority stakes of United Group from KKR for an enterprise valuation of 2.6 billion euros. [9] [10] The acquisition was finalized on 4 March 2019. [11]
On 24 December 2020, United Group announced they would buy Bulgaria's Nova Broadcasting Group; [12] the acquisition was completed on 22 January 2021. [13]
The company was the first to offer digital landline telephony services in 2012. [14] [ page needed ] This was also the year United Group launched the first application for watching television and using TV services on different mobile devices.
In 2016, United Group established United Cloud, the in-house technology and software "innovation center".
In September 2017, Eon TV platform was launched, which allows viewers in Serbia to watch TV via a smart TV app. [15] In 2018, United Group launched Eon Smart Box, which was the first regional solution to combine television with Android services and applications.
In 2018, United Group also partnered with Fon Wireless to expand its Wi-Fi network and enable regional customers the access to more than 68 million Wi-Fi hotspots all over the world. [16]
Today, United Group is the largest alternative pay television platform in the former Yugoslavia region, providing television, Internet, landline, and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms. [17]
The Group provides services across four key brands:
United Media is a combination of top Pay TV channels in the region (sports, movies, kids) and CAS Media providing clients with targeted media buying on most of the regional cable channels. United Media channel offer is available for cable, DTH, OTT, and IPTV distribution. In 2018, United Media announced the acquisition of Direct Media, a regional advertising agency.
United Media channels:
CAS Media is the largest agency for the sale of advertising space on cable and satellite channels in the region.
When United Group announced its acquisition of Vivacom, the largest Bulgarian telecom, United Group was added to the list of defendants in a lawsuit by Empreno Ventures, which disputes the ownership of Vivacom and the sale of the company. [18]
When Vivacom announced that it would be buying smaller regional companies, it faced backlash from PPF, owner of Yettel Bulgaria, and A1 Bulgaria, since the acquisitions would give them a monopoly in multiple provinces, including Ruse, Silistra, Varna, Razgrad and Sofia. Vivacom denied the claims that it was monopolising the market.
Modern Times Group (MTG) is a digital entertainment company based in Stockholm, Sweden. It formed from the media holdings of investment company Kinnevik, which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. It is a strategic and operational investment holding company, managing a portfolio including gaming companies InnoGames, Ninja Kiwi and Kongregate, and digital network company Zoomin.TV.
Telenet Group N.V. is the largest provider of cable broadband services in Belgium. Its business comprises the provision of analog and digital cable television, fixed and mobile telephone services, primarily to residential customers in Flanders and Brussels. In addition, Telenet offers services to business customers all across Belgium and in Luxembourg under its brand Telenet Solutions.
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Nova, stylized as NOVA and previously marketed as NTV or Nova Television, is a Bulgarian free-to-air television network launched on 16 July 1994. Nova TV, alongside the channels Kino Nova, Nova News, Nova Sport, DIEMA, Diema Family and Diema Sport are part of Nova Broadcasting Group and owned by United Group.
Vivacom is the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned incumbent operator. The company is headquartered in the capital city Sofia and employs around 5,900 people, owning a mature distribution network with around 230 branded retail outlets and alternative sale points.
Television in Serbia was introduced in 1958. It remains the most popular of the media in Serbia—according to 2009 survey, Serbian people watch on average 6 hours of television per day, making it the highest average in Europe.
Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd is a Serbian state-owned telecommunications operator. It was founded in May 1997 as a joint-stock company, by spinning off the telecommunications business from PTT Srbija. In April 2015, Telekom Srbija started providing all services in Serbia under the mts brand.
Nova Telecommunications & Media S.M.S.A. is a telecommunications company in Greece which provides broadband, television, mobile and fixed services. It also offers satellite services in Cyprus. It was traded on the Athens Exchange until its delisting in 2021.
Eurosport 2 is a sports tv channel and a sister channel to Eurosport 1. Both are part of the Eurosport network which is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. Several different versions of the channel exist across Europe, with different sports rights across different markets. Eurosport 2 had an audience of 87 million viewers in 2019 -- an increase in size of one million.
UPC Holding is a European telecommunications company owned by Liberty Global which provides cable television, broadband internet and fixed telephony in Europe.
Serbia Broadband is a cable television and broadband internet service provider in Serbia. The SBB company operates as part of the United Group, leading media and telecommunication operator in Southeastern Europe. The company is based in the "Telepark" business complex in Belgrade, which includes data center covering 750 square meters of floor space and divided into 20 server halls and technical support areas.
BC Partners LLP is a British international investment firm with over $40 billion of assets under management across private equity, credit and real estate in Europe and North America. Its global headquarters are in London. The firm invests across all industries. BC Partners was founded in 1986 and has offices in New York, Paris and Hamburg. Since inception, BC Partners has completed 113 private equity investments in companies with a total enterprise value of €145 billion.
UPC was the largest cable operator in Switzerland with around 1.1 million residential and business customers and was formed in 1994 through the merger of several cable operators. UPC has been a subsidiary of Liberty Global from 2005 until its discontinuation in 2022.
Television in Bosnia and Herzegovina was first introduced in 1961. Out of 94 TV stations, 71 are commercial, 20 are public, while 3 public services are funded through subscription.
MMTV is a Bulgarian 24/7 online TV channel and website www.mmtvmusic.com first established as a cable and satellite music television channel in 1997. In the early 2000s, MM had a profound impact on the Bulgarian music industry and popular culture with its annual music awards becoming one of the most important events on the modern Bulgarian music scene.
Telemach is the leading cable television and broadband internet service provider and the largest alternative fixed line operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company is part of the United Group, owned by the British BC Partners. It was founded as M&H Company in Sarajevo in 2005 and was one of the three companies merged to form United Group in 2007.
Nova BH is a Bosnian commercial television channel launched on 9 October 2018. From 2003 to 2018, this national commercial station formerly was known as Pink BH. Since October 2018, Nova BH is a member of the United Media portfolio, the leading media platform in South East Europe. Headquarters is located in Sarajevo and Nova BH also has offices and studios in Banja Luka.
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