Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.9757 – Providence/VOO/Brutélé) (Text with EEA relevance) 2020/C 183/03
Date: 2020-06-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: Internet access provider, cable distribution, communications industry, economic concentration, education, information industry, investment company, merger control, telecommunications equipment








C_2020183EN.01000401.xml










3.6.2020   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 183/4






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.9757 – Providence/VOO/Brutélé)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2020/C 183/03)

1.   
On 25 May 2020, the Commission received notificatiodn of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


the Providence Equity Partners group (‘Providence’, United States) will act for this transaction through the company OTP Luxco S.à.r.l (‘OTP Luxco’, Luxembourg), controlled by three investment funds: (1) Providence Equity Partners VIII L.P (Caiman Islands), (2) Providence Equity Partners VIII-A L.P. (Caiman Islands), and (3) Providence Equity Partners VIII (Scotland) L.P., which in turn belong to the group;










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VOO SA (‘VOO’, Belgium), controlled by Nethys SA (‘Nethys’, Belgium), itself controlled by the inter-municipal public undertaking Enodia SCRL (‘Enodia’, Belgium);










—


Société Intercommunale pour la Diffusion de la Télévision, Brutélé SCRL (‘Brutélé’, Belgium).
Providence, via its subsidiary OTP Luxco, acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of the whole of VOO and Brutélé.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.






2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:






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for Providence: global investment company specialising in media and communications and education undertakings and in the information industry;










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for VOO: cable operator, active mainly in the Walloon Region, provider of access services for television, fixed and mobile telephony and the internet through its cable network, to both household and professional customers;










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for Brutélé: cable operator, active mainly in and south of the Brussels-Capital Region. The operator provides both household and professional customers with television, telephone and internet access services through its cable network, mainly in the Brussels-Capital Region and around the city of Charleroi in the province of Hainaut (Walloon Region).






3.   

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.



4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission no later than 10 days following the date on which this notification is published. The following reference should always be specified:
M.9757 – Providence/VOO/Brutélé
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu
Fax +32 22964301
Postal address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).