Convergence

Liberty Global’s Fries confident on direction of regulation in Europe

Liberty Global is not overly concerned about threats to regulate cable in European markets, despite “politicized” moves to regulate in specific markets, according to president and CEO Mike Fries. Speaking at the Citi’s 2018 Global TMT West conference, Fries also played down the threat that the European Electronic Communications Code, currently going through the ‘trilogue’ […]

Sweden’s Tele2 to buy cable operator Com Hem

Swedish telco Tele2 has agreed to buy local cable operator Com Hem in a merger agreement that will establish Tele2 as a major integrated mobile and fixed line operator in Sweden. Tele2 will absorb Com Hem in a deal that was described by the firms as a “natural next step for both companies”. The agreement […]

NOS sees convergence strategy paying off

Portuguese pay TV operator NOS saw growth in the third quarter coming from its successful convergence strategy as the number of net adds for individual services slows. According to NOS, 47.3% of fixed subscribers now take a mix of communication and entertainment services. The company cited independent figures that showed it now had a 40% […]

Vivendi chief sees future in ‘horizontal’ convergence

Vivendi’s first attempt at convergence may have failed spectacularly, but the all-new media-focused Vivendi of 2017 is set to lead the way with a ‘horizontal’ convergence model, according to CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine. Vivendi first went down this road with the ill-fated Jean-Marie Messier-led acquisition spree that culminated in the French telecom group’s disastrous merger […]

Liberty Global: mobile is ‘strategically critical’

Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries has described mobile as “strategically critical” and outlined ambitious plans to more than double its mobile base in the next five years. Speaking on Liberty’s third quarter earnings call, Fries said that mobile is now “unquestionably a core part of our product strategy and our customer value proposition” and described […]