Bulgaria Monopoly Watchdog Probes Top Cable Providers

The Swedish investment fund EQT V (EQT) acquired 100% of Eurocom and 70% of Cabletel at the end of October last year in a EUR 210 M deal. File photo

Bulgaria's anti-trust watchdog has launched a probe into the country's top cable providers "Eurocom" and "Cabletel" on monopoly allegations.

The Commission for Protection of Competition acted on a tip-off of Bulgaria's first national private television bTV, which has recently came into a conflict with Cabletel, claiming it is putting a spoke in the wheel of its sale to CEM.

The Swedish investment fund EQT V (EQT) acquired 100% of Eurocom and 70% of Cabletel at the end of October last year in a EUR 210 M deal.

The conflict with bTV dates back from a few months ago and concerns Cabletel and Eurocom refusal to air bTV recently launched theme channels without an increase in subscription fees.

The media wants its two theme channels – bTV Cinema and bTV Comedy – to be aired free of charge for the subscribers, but the cable operator says this is impossible due to the high price that bTV wants to charge.

The TV channel has described the reaction of the cable operators as “weird”, saying they have already contracted nearly 200 cable and satellite operators, charging them with the same price.

According to reports the price in question is seven-digit for a period of two years.

Cabletel planned to approach the anti-monopoly watchdog, the Commission for Competition Protection, in a step that may delay the finalization of bTV sale deal, but now it appears that the TV channel acted more quickly.

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