On March 26, 2014 NISZ Nemzeti Infokommunikációs Szolgáltató Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (NISZ), a wholly owned subsidiary of Magyar Nemzeti Vagyonkezelő Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (MNV), signed a binding agreement for the acquisition of 100% of the shares of “Antenna Hungária” Magyar Műsorszóró és Rádióhírközlési Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (Antenna Hungária), a subsidiary of the French broadcast network service group TDF S.A. (TDF). As of May 30, 2014, the new owner of Antenna Hungária will be NISZ, a state-owned company providing governmental information and telecommunication operations and services.
The transaction – which includes the purchase of the shares and the repayment of the loan provided by TDF to Antenna Hungária – is concluded at an enterprise value of 55.9 billion HUF (approximately 180 million Euros), for an adjusted EBITDA (excluding residual Analog TV) as at March 31st, 2014 of 5.59 billion HUF (approximately 18 million Euros).
In 2013, TDF launched a disposal process to sell 100% of the shares of Antenna Hungária, to which the Hungarian State applied as a buyer.
Attila Zoltán Szabó, CEO of NISZ declares on the acquisition: ”The government decided to repurchase Antenna Hungária, because as a result of this the ownership of the strategically important nationwide terrestrial television and radio broadcasting and programme distribution, as well as the satellite broadcasting and programme distribution falls back to the state.
The decision of the government is in line with its strategy to place public utilities under public ownership, and the National Infocommunication Strategy.”
Olivier Huart, CEO of TDF Group declares: ”We are pleased to have concluded this agreement with the Hungarian State. We are proud that under TDF leadership, Antenna Hungária has been able to successfully transition from the Analog TV world to the Digital TV era; as a result of significant additional investments of circa 20 billion HUF (circa 65 million Euros) and driven by both TDF and the company’s expertise, it also pioneered a number of new services and technologies, thus robustly positioning Antenna Hungária as an innovative and leading player in the digital media world in Hungary.”
The reacquisition of Antenna Hungária, in line with the strategy of the Hungarian government, will result in the state (currently the most important customer of Antenna Hungária), re-obtaining the ownership of the public utilities which has a national security importance, securing the nationwide terrestrial television and radio broadcasting network and distribution, and satellite broadcasting and distribution. With the completion of the transaction, a well-developed digital technology and competence will be placed under public ownership, which provides an opportunity for the broadcasting infrastructure-system to perform state- and administrative duties while in the same time optimizing costs and providing high-quality services.
More about Antenna Hungária Zrt.:
Antenna Hungária is a major actor in the Hungarian telecommunications and broadcast sector. Its main activities include national terrestrial television, and radio broadcast network services, Pay TV programs distribution, hosting and maintenance services to telecommunication operators, and telecommunications solutions to corporates. The company has in the past years significantly developed its presence in the field of telecommunications; since 1998 the Group has been operating a National Transport Network, a high-speed, digital, microwave backbone network covering the entire territory of the country.
Hungaro DigiTel Kft. (HDT), is a subsidiary of Antenna Hungária, in which Antenna Hungária owns 55% of the shares while the remaining 45% is in the ownership of the Portugal Telecom Group. HDT is a major service provider in the European satellite telecommunication sector, providing high-quality telecommunication solutions for both public and private actors. The most important function of HDT is to provide professional and diverse telecommunication services to the clients using secured satellite transport links (VSAT). The largest customer of HDT is the Hungarian State.
More about NISZ Nemzeti Infokommunikációs Szolgáltató Zrt.:
NISZ Nemzeti Infokommunikációs Szolgáltató Zrt. (NISZ) is a company of strategic importance for providing infocommunication and telecommunication services for the state, which are effectuated through the parent company and its three subsidiaries - Kopint-Datorg Kft., IdomSoft Zrt. and Pro-M Zrt. Its largest customers are government bodies and institutions with statewide competencies. The actuation of the governmental infrastructure, the e-support of administrative solutions and the provision of basic and advanced informatic services are one the first strategic objectives of NISZ. The company – with its high-quality services – aims to to meet the innovative requirements the Hungarian public sector faces, forming an integral part of the european integration.
(Ministry of National Development)
