TDF agrees sale of Antenna Hungária

French transmission services provider TDF has agreed the sale of Hungarian subsidiary Antenna Hungária to the Hungarian state.

Antenna Hungária, which operates the MinDig digital-terrestrial platform in the country among other activities, will be sold to state holding company Nemzeti Infokommunikációs Szolgáltató Zártköruen Muködo Részvénytársaság (NISZ) with the transaction to complete on May 30.

The deal, which includes the reimbursement of Antenna Hungária’s debt to TDF, values the latter at HUF55.9 billion (€180 million), based on an adjusted EBITDA of HUF5.59 billion.

TDF took the decision to sell the unit last year, a move in line with its strategy of pulling out of activities in central and eastern Europe.

“The government has decided to acquire Antenna Hungária due to the eminently strategic nature of terrestrial TV and radio distribution and the distribution of programmes at national level, and also so that the transmission and distribution of programmes by satellite continues to be assured by the state,” said NISZ CEO Zoltán Szabó.

“The government’s decision is also based on our strategy of renationalising public services and in the national information and communication strategy.”