Showing posts with label takeover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label takeover. Show all posts

Friday, September 13, 2013

Vodafone says takeover offer for Kabel Deutschland succeeds

FRANKFURT, Sept 12 | Thu Sep 12, 2013 2:31pm EDT

FRANKFURT, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Vodafone said it has secured the 75 percent of shares in Kabel Deutschland needed for its 7.7 billion-euro ($10 billion) offer for Germany's largest cable company to succeed.

"The 75 percent minimum acceptance condition has been met," Vodafone said in a statement on Thursday, adding that it would publish the definitive tender ratio on Sept. 16.

Vodafone's 87.00 euro per share offer, which includes a 2.50 euro dividend payment, for Kabel Deutschland ended on Sept. 11.

The British company, which earlier this month agreed the sale of its stake in U.S. operator Verizon Wireless for $130 billion, wants to buy Kabel Deutschland to offer more television and fixed-line services in Germany, its largest European mobile market.


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UPDATE 1-Vodafone gets enough shares for $10 bln Kabel Deutschland takeover

* Vodafone says reached 75 pct threshold for takeover

* Says to unveil details of acceptance ratio on Monday

* Deal still needs EU regulatory clearance

* Deal would give Vodafone leg up in fragmented market

FRANKFURT, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Vodafone has secured enough shares in Kabel Deutschland for its 7.7 billion euro ($10 billion) offer for Germany's largest cable company to succeed, Vodafone said on Thursday.

"The 75 percent minimum acceptance condition has been met," Vodafone said in a statement on Thursday, adding that it would publish details on Monday of the number of shares tendered.

Vodafone's 87.00 euro per share offer for Kabel Deutschland, which includes a 2.50 euro dividend payment, ended on Sept. 11.

The British company, which this month agreed the sale of its stake in U.S. operator Verizon Wireless for $130 billion, wants to buy Kabel Deutschland to offer more television and fixed-line services in Germany, its largest European mobile market.

Vodafone said Kabel Deutschland shareholders who had not accepted the offer yet may be given an additional chance to do so between Sept. 17 and Sept. 30.

It also said the deal still needed regulatory clearance from the European Commission, with the completion of a first review expected by Sept. 20.

STEALING A MARCH

So-called "quad-play" services offering TV, broadband, mobile and fixed-line telephony have caught on rapidly in markets such as France and Spain, but the largely fragmented German cable market is still some way behind.

This means a deal for the cable company could enable Vodafone to steal a march on rivals such as Liberty's Unity Media and Deutsche Telekom.

With consumers wanting to watch TV and video on an array of devices, cable assets have become more attractive as they can provide internet services at speeds often five times faster than competing services from traditional telecom companies.

Vodafone has said it expected synergies from the deal to exceed 300 million euros a year before integration costs, by the fourth full year following completion.

It also sees potential for revenue synergies of 1.5 billion euros from cross-selling products and improved customer loyalty.

The deal values Kabel Deutschland at 12 times enterprise value against 2013 core earnings, a 35 percent premium to the sector. However, this falls to 8.5 times when taking into consideration the synergies Vodafone expects to extract, analysts have said.

The high price reflects the desire of the world's second-largest mobile operator to adapt in its core market of Europe, where increasing regulation and recession have hit revenue and forced it to write down the value of its assets.


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