German regulator concerned over Liberty deal

The German competition regulator, the Bundeskartellamt, has said it has concerns about Liberty Global’s pending acquisition of cable operator Kabel BW, which would give it control of two of Germany’s main players in the cable market.

The Bundeskartellamt will reveal its final decision on December 15. However, the regulator has said that it has concerns over concentration of ownership in the cable market, with Liberty Global adding Baden-Württemberg operator Kabel BW to Unitymedia, the North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse operator that it already owns, and Kabel Deutschland being the major network operator in other German regions.

Liberty Global said it would offer to provide full unencrypted digital free-to-air TV services in Unitymedia’s territories and continue to offer the same in Kabel BW’s zone of coverage to meet the regulator’s concerns.