Taiwan cableco nears $2.3bn sale
July 6, 2015
By Colin Mann
A consortium of investors led by Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. and Morgan Stanley’s private equity arm are nearing a $2.3 billion deal to buy China Network Systems, Taiwan’s largest cable-television operator from Asia-focused private-equity firm MBK Partners LP, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Such a deal would allow Far EasTone to bundle its mobile phone services with China Network Systems’ cable and broadband offerings.
China Network Systems is the largest cable television and broadband multiple-systems operator (MSO) in Taiwan, with approximately 1.2 million subscribers. CNS, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates a fully built-out 888MHz hybrid fiber-coaxial plant that covers over 2.0 million households. CNS’s customer base is located in the most attractive demographic regions of Taiwan, with dominant market shares in Greater Taipei, Kaohsiung City and Tainan.