Liberty Global reportedly close to securing Ziggo green light

Liberty Global is on the brink of securing a green light from the European Commission to acquire leading Dutch cable operator Ziggo, according to a Bloomberg report.

According to Bloomberg, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the investigation, Liberty Global has made commitments, including the sale of its premium Dutch film channel Film 1 and a promise to keep its networks open to OTT TV providers such as Netflix, which already operates in the Netherlands, that will be sufficient to secure EC approval of the deal.

The Commission paused its investigation of the €4.9 billion acquisition at the start of August after “new facts” came to light. The EC reportedly resumed its probe this week after receiving new information from Liberty Global and indicated it would rule on the deal by November 3.

Liberty Global told Bloomberg that it was continuing its constructive discussions with the EC and remained confident it would complete the transaction by the end of the year.