B.net expands its satellite TV offering by acquiring Total TV

Through an agreement between the Mid Europa Partners fund and BEWAG, B.net is taking over all operations of Total TV in Croatia. The agreement was signed by the investment fund Mid Europa Partners, the majority owner of Total TV, and the Austrian company BEWAG, owner of B.net Croatia.

The British investment fund (private equity) Mid Europa Partners owns numerous telecommunications operators and pay TV companies in Europe (Astera in Poland, Invitela in Hungary, and Orange in Austria), as well as Telemach in Slovenia and SBB in Serbia. Mid Europa Partners, together with B.net, is initiating a collaboration under which B.net will be responsible for the further operations of Total TV in Croatia; it will be fully integrated into B.net’s business in all aspects, including branding and market presence, and Total TV will be offered in the market as B.net’s satellite platform and service, the company stated in a press release.

Total TV is a regional DTH (Direct to Home) satellite platform, i.e., cable television broadcast via the Eutelsat satellite and is one of the leading DTH operators in the region. Total TV is currently the only operator in Croatia that offers hybrid receivers for receiving digital terrestrial and satellite signals, and with this acquisition of Total TV’s operations in Croatia, users of this platform will receive numerous additional benefits. For example, programs from national television stations will be included in Total TV’s offering, and existing users are guaranteed the same service conditions for the next year.

B.net will develop Total TV as its own satellite platform, which means that both users of B.net’s programming packages and those who have previously used Total TV in Croatia can expect numerous programming innovations and services arising from this synergy of cable and satellite television. A unified customer service and information service for B.net and Total TV are also part of the agreement regarding the acquisition of this satellite operator’s operations in Croatia.

"By acquiring the operations of Total TV, B.net becomes an even more significant player in the Croatian television program distribution market, offering users two different ways to enjoy television programs – cable and satellite television. This is a natural step in the development of B.net as it will allow us much greater coverage and reach to new users, and we consider Total TV to be the best satellite platform that will easily integrate into our brand and service offering," stated Adrian Ježina, CEO of B.net Croatia, regarding the acquisition of Total TV’s operations.

"We chose BEWAG’s company, B.net, as the logical choice of partner to continue our business in Croatia and further enhance it, primarily due to the position that B.net holds in Croatia as the leading cable operator and due to the excellent reputation and satisfaction it records with its users. As a strong company that has proven itself with its thoughtful business development and excellent results in the past year, B.net is the ideal partner that can continue to develop the brand and services of Total TV in the highly competitive Croatian television program distribution market to end users," said Robert Knorr, senior partner at the Mid Europa Partners investment fund.