Turkey: beIN Media Group formalises the acquisition of Digiturk for an estimated €1.09bn

The Qatari pay-TV group beIN Media Group formalised the acquisition of its Turkish counterpart, the satellite bouquet Digiturk, on 13/07/2015. The amount of the acquisition, which was not disclosed, is around $1.2bn (€1.09bn on 15/07/2015) according to the Turkish press, in line with the amounts previously suggested in French, English and Turkish media in December 2013, January 2014 and March 2015, respectively.

The transaction remains subject to the agreement of the Turkish competition authorities. The Digiturk bouquet, with between 3.2 and 3.5 million subscribers, offers about 240 channels, including its own LigTV channels: broadcasts include, exclusively in Turkey, the Spor Toto Süper Lig (since 2001 and through 2016-17) and the Barclays Premier League (until the end of the 2015-16 season). Digiturk is the top pay-TV operator in the Turkish market.

"The acquisition of Digiturk is in line with our goal to keep expanding in markets with potential for significant growth. Our entry into the Turkish market is a natural step for the beIN Media Group. We aim to develop the Digiturk…