Euskaltel eyes more Spanish cableco acquisitions


Details

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez

| 29 January 2016




After buying R Cable, Euskaltel is eyeing the opportunity to acquire Telecable in order to build up a large cable company across the northern regions of Spain.



Speaking to El País, Alberto García Erauzkin, president of the Basque Country telco, said Telecable, which operates in Asturias, is a clear target, although it's not a priority, as the company has to digest the recent acquisition of R Cable, which operates in Galicia.

The acquisition of R Cable was a €1.2 billion operation and means the company now has a 700,000 subs base. If including Telecable subs, the number is nearer one million.

“It's not our immediate goal, but we're open to the opportunity of buying,” said Erauzkin. The announcement is built on what are presumed to be positive results following Euskaltel's public offering last year, although no official figures have been announced.

Since the beginning of 2015, the regional cable company has been determined not to miss the boat in the telecom sector, as Spain's major telcos have moved forward with merges such as Vodafone-ONO and Orange-Jazztel.

Commenting on the cable TV sector, Erauzkin said that exclusive content, currently managed by the market's largest telcos, “will gradually be eliminated by the market's regulator”.