| United Group B.V. | |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Mass media Advertising Telecommunications Cable television |
| Founder: | Dragan Šolak |
| Hq Location: | Spicalaan 41 |
| Hq Location City: | 2132 JG Hoofddorp |
| Hq Location Country: | Netherlands |
| Area Served: | Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Slovenia North Macedonia Croatia Bulgaria Greece |
| Key People: | Dragan Šolak (Chairman of the Advisory Board Victoriya Boklag (CEO & Vice Chairwoman of the Advisory Board) |
| Brands: | SBB Telemach BiH Telemach Croatia Telemach Montenegro Telemach Slovenia TotalTV NetTV Plus CAS Media Serbia Vivacom Nova |
| Owners: | Dragan Šolak (majority) BC Partners KKR (minority) |
United Group is an alternative telecom provider in Southeast Europe that operates both telecommunications platforms and mass media outlets.
United Group was formed in 2007, as a Luxembourg-registered multinational entity, in a merger of Serbia Broadband (SBB) and two companies named Telemach, one in Slovenia and the other in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1] Telemach Montenegro became a part of United Group in 2014. Telemach acquired Tušmobil on 1 April 2015.[2] This being a cable acquisition of a mobile network makes it a unique case in the region, and the first step of United Group into providing all telecommunication services (landline, mobile, television, and internet) in one household.[3]
Today, United Group is the largest alternative pay television platform in the region of the former Yugoslavia, providing television, Internet, landline and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms.[4] [5]
In 2013, the group started its worldwide OTT platform, NetTV Plus, through which it provides Pay TV and landline telephony services to the former Yugoslav diaspora. As the group’s distribution platforms developed extensively throughout the region, the next step was entering the content and advertising sales business, today represented by United Media.
In March 2014, United Group was bought by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a leading global investment firm with headquarters in New York, and U.S. 94.3 billion in assets under management.[6] [7] The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is a co-investor in the company.[8]
In September 2018, a British private equity firm BC Partners began the process of acquisition of the majority stakes of United Group from KKR for an enterprise valuation of 2.6 billion euros.[9] [10] The acquisition was finalized on 4 March 2019.[11]
On 24 December 2020, United Group announced they would buy Bulgaria's Nova Broadcasting Group;[12] the acquisition was completed on 22 January 2021.[13]
The company was the first to offer digital landline telephony services in 2012.[14] This was also the year United Group launched the first application for watching television and using TV services on different mobile devices.
In 2016, United Group established United Cloud, the in-house technology and software "innovation center".
In September 2017, EON TV platform was launched, which allows viewers in Serbia to watch TV via a smart TV app.[15] In 2018, United Group launched EON Smart Box, which was the first regional solution to combine television with Android services and applications.
In 2018, United Group also partnered with Fon Wireless to expand its Wi-Fi network and enable regional customers the access to more than 68 million Wi-Fi hotspots all over the world.[16]
Today, United Group is the largest alternative pay television platform in the former Yugoslavia region, providing television, Internet, landline, and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms.[17]
The Group provides services across four key brands:
United Media is a combination of top Pay TV channels in the region (sports, movies, kids) and CAS Media providing clients with targeted media buying on most of the regional cable channels. United Media channel offer is available for cable, DTH, OTT, and IPTV distribution. In 2018, United Media announced the acquisition of Direct Media, a regional advertising agency.
United Media channels:
CAS Media is the largest agency for the sale of advertising space on cable and satellite channels in the region.
When United Group announced its acquisition of Vivacom, the largest Bulgarian telecom, United Group was added to the list of defendants in a lawsuit by Empreno Ventures, which disputes the ownership of Vivacom and the sale of the company.[18]
When Vivacom announced that it would be buying smaller regional companies, it faced backlash from PPF, owner of Yettel Bulgaria, and A1 Bulgaria, since the acquisitions would give them a monopoly in multiple provinces, including Ruse, Silistra, Varna, Razgrad and Sofia. Vivacom denied the claims that it was monopolising the market.