Advanced Television

Italy: Conditional approval for Persidera deal

November 18, 2019

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Italy’s Antitrust Authority has given its conditional approval for the acquisition of Persidera by F2i and EI Towers.

Persidera is a TV broadcasting tower company owned by Telecom Italia (TIM) and Gedi.

The Authority established the operation will strengthen the dominant position of the new entity in the market for TV broadcasting infrastructure, “thus eliminating or substantially reducing competition in the markets of digital broadcasting, free-to-air and pay-TV and TV advertising sales”.

Therefore it has indicated remedies, including obligations to provide access on fair, transparent and non-discriminatory terms; as well as measures to guarantee the independence of MuxCo; and to reduce the risk of information exchange between MuxCo, NetCo, EI Towers, F2i and Mediaset.

F2i and EI Towers reached an agreement in June to buy Persidera from TIM and Gedi.

The operation foresees the splitting up of Persidera into two entities: MuxCo, which will hold the rights to five DTT multiplexes and relative frequencies, to be taken over by F2i, and NetCo, which will hold the network infrastructure, which will go to EI Towers (60 per cent owned by F2i and 40 per cent by Mediaset).

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