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Liberty in German FTTH JV

Liberty Global Ventures , the investment arm of Liberty , and InfraVia Capital Partners , a leading independent private equity firm specialised in infrastructure and technology investments , have set up a new Joint Venture ( JV ) aimed at assessing the opportunity in building fibre-to-the-home networks in Germany .

The 50:50 JV , which is subject to regulatory approval , sees the two companies leverage their extensive expertise in infrastructure investment and development . The JV will take a modular approach , with the first phase targeting a small number of municipalities in Germany . If specifically defined success criteria are met during the first phase , it will open up further investment opportunities for the joint venture .
“ Liberty Networks Germany offers an exciting opportunity to leverage our expertise in deploying critical broadband infrastructure in a market we know very well ,” commented Robert Dunn , managing director , connectivity investments , Liberty Global . “ We ’ re also excited by the attractive returns offered by
“ We are excited to be working with Liberty Global to explore this opportunity in Germany .”
greenfield fibre network deployment in a country where millions of homes don ’ t yet have access to fast and reliable broadband . We look forward to working in partnership with InfraVia as we take a controlled approach to the opportunity as we move forward .”
“ We are excited to be working with Liberty Global to explore this opportunity in Germany , seizing on the ever-increasing data usage and the acceleration of work from home patterns ,” added Bruno Candès , partner , InfraVia Capital Partners . “ We look forward to leveraging the investment capacity of our fifth infrastructure fund and our leading expertise in digital infrastructure investments during this project .”
Having operated Unitymedia for a decade , Liberty Global brings extensive experience of the German market to the JV . This includes working closely with municipalities and regional authorities in Germany as Unitymedia expanded its network in the country , which reached 13m homes passed and 7.2m customers by the time of its sale to Vodafone in 2019 .
Provisional OK for BBC Three linear relaunch
Media regulator Ofcom has
provisionally concluded that
the BBC should be permitted
to re-launch BBC Three as a
broadcast television channel .
It is now seeking views on
the decision from interested
or affected organisations and
individuals .
Ofcom initially concluded
that the proposed relaunch
would constitute a material
change to the Corporation ’ s
UK public service activities ,
requiring a full BBC
Competition Assessment
( BCA ) to allow further scrutiny
of its plans ,
As the communications
regulator , part of Ofcom ’ s
role is to make sure any
changes the BBC makes to
its publicly-funded TV , radio
and online services don ’ t
give it an unfair advantage over other broadcasters . To do this , it needs to judge whether the public value of a proposed change justifies any negative market impact it might have . Ofcom says it has analysed the proposal in detail and has provisionally concluded that the public value of BBC Three ’ s return as a broadcast channel justifies the limited adverse market impact that might arise from it . It also provisionally found that the relaunch of BBC Three as a broadcast channel would increase its availability and reach to people who don ’ t currently have access to it . These include people from lower income households and those living outside of London and the south east . Following its provisional decision , it is also consulting on proposed changes to its Electronic Programme Guide Code of Practice . Depending on its final decision on BBC Three , these changes would ensure the channel appears within the first 24 slots of onscreen programme guides .
Ofcom expects to publish its
final decisions before the end
of 2021 .
EBU : ‘ Need for public service media never greater ’
Findings in a report from the
EBU – Democracy and Public
Service Media – show that
‘ democracy has declined ’ in
two thirds of EBU Member
countries , with citizens
turning away from politics
and public life . It says the
report demonstrates how
strong and well-funded public
service media ( PSM ) goes
hand-in-hand with a nation ’ s
democratic health .
“ The need for strong public
service media has never been
greater ,” says Noel Curran ,
director general , EBU . “ Anyone
can ‘ report ’ breaking news by
uploading footage and gaining
a global audience in seconds .
This has transformed news
consumption but brings with it
a prevalence of misinformation
and deliberate fake news .
The results can have dreadful
repercussions for stable ,
elective democracies .” In comments to mark the 60th anniversary of the Eurovision News Exchange ( EVN ), Curran calls for the protection of transparent and trusted news , reflecting a range of opinions and views . “ News that reflects diversity of thought and opinion , subject to rigorous editorial processes of accountability and verification , ensures accurate , trusted content that supports democratic societies .”
EVN is singled out by Curran for its adherence to the independent editorial processes that enable the sharing of trusted , accurate information , including verified eyewitness content , and a range of opinion and perspectives essential to strong democracies .
He also calls on PSM to invest in their services . “ All of us working in PSM must prioritise the future . Organisational transformation isn ’ t optional . Our services must be fit for purpose in a rapidly shifting technology landscape ,” he concludes .
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