The United Group
|
Native name
|
United Group B.V. |
|---|---|
| Limited liability company | |
| Industry | Mass media Advertising Telecommunication Cable television |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Naritaweg 165, 1043 BW Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
Area served
|
Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Slovenia Republic of Macedonia Croatia |
|
Key people
|
Dragan Šolak (Executive Chairman) |
| Products | Sport Klub 1 Sport Klub 2 |
| Brands | Serbia Broadband Telemach BiH NetTV Plus Tušmobil Slovenia CAS Media Serbia |
| Owner | Kohlberg Kravis Roberts EBRD |
The United Group is alternative telecom provider in the Balkan countries that operates in two main business segments: telecommunication platforms and media (content and advertising).
Contents
History
The United Group originates back to 2007, when it was formed through the combination of Serbia Broadband and Telemach Slovenia, as well as Telemach Bosnia which was acquired shortly after. In 2014, Telemach Montenegro became part of United Group. Telemach acquired Tušmobil on 1 April 2015. This being a cable acquisition of mobile network makes it unique case in the region, and a first step of United Group into providing all telecommunication services in one household.[2]
Today, United Group is the largest alternative Pay TV platform in the region of Former Yugoslavia, providing television, Internet, fixed and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms.
In 2013, the group started its worldwide OTT platform, NetTV Plus , through which it provides PayTV and fixed 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.
Since March 2014 United Group is majority-owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a leading global investment firm with headquarters in New York, and US 94.3 billion in assets under management. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is a co-investor in the company.[1]
Telecommunication platforms
Today, United Group is the largest alternative Pay TV platform in the region of Former Yugoslavia, providing television, Internet, fixed and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms.[2]
With unmatched reach via cable and DTH across the region, and ethnically targeted OTT internationally, the Group's companies have established a reputation for providing the most attractive content in their respective markets, available across all devices and formats, fast broadband and cheap voice calls.
The Group provides services across four key brands:
- Serbia Broadband - The leading alternative cable operator in Serbia.[3]
- Telemach - alternative cable operator in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina[4] and Montenegro (Telemach BiH, Telemach Slovenia, Telemach Montenegro[5]). Third mobile operator in Slovenia (Tušmobil).
- TotalTV - DTH platform in the region (BiH, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro)
- NetTV Plus - The OTT provider serving the former Yugoslav diaspora worldwide
United Media
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.[6] United Media channel offer is available for cable, DTH, OTT and IPTV distribution.
United Media channels:
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Advertising space
CAS Media is the largest agency for the sale of advertising space on cable and satellite channels in the region.[7]
Advertising space via CAS Media:
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Criticism and monopoly
The United Group has bought the right for transmission of sporting events, and through a chain of fictitious companies from Luxembourg and Cyprus started a company in Romania (IKO MEDIA) which owns the channel Sport Klub.[8] They bought the rights for television broadcasting of Sport Klub channels in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the same as they were sold with a view to sale to all interested operators in the country. As IKO MEDIA is in their (United Group - United Media) property they have kept the TV channel for themselves. For other cable operators in Bosnia and Herzegovina, sports channels "Sport Klub" were not available because "The United Group" did not want to sell TV deals, which means that they used TV channels as a tool to force users[9] (in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Serbia) to take the services of Telemach, or some of the other companies from United Group ownership.[10]
References
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