Big deals Top transactions in technology, media and telecommunications
DLA Piper has advised Vienna Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant Hungarian media-portfolio consisting of eight leading regional daily newspapers, the only daily sport newspaper, the recognized flagship broadsheet Népszabadság, the leading business daily Világgazdaság and several magazines from Ringier and Axel Springer.
Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen has handled several media-related transactions in Telecom and Media Projects:
■ Legal assistance with respect to Microsoft – Nokia transaction NNDKP provided assistance to Microsoft in the context of the 6 billion euro worldwide acquisition of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, in relation to implementation of the transaction in Romania.
■ Legal assistance to Orange Romania in the implementation of a TV distribution platform and advised Orange Romania on various matters in relation to the implementation and launch in June 2013 of a key TV project consisting of TV channels to be provided to end-users via DTH (satellite) and OTT (for PC, mobiles and tablets) platforms. The project was very complex, involving a multidisciplinary team of lawyers specialized in media, telecom, contracts, intellectual property, consumer protection and data protection. The firm also assisted the client in the negotiation of all the retransmission (rebroadcasting) contracts with both local and foreign broadcasters (project ongoing).
■ Assistance in relation to the new legal provisions on advertising airtime. Provided assistance to Universal Networks International (NBC) and Ford Romania in the implementation of the amendments brought to the Romanian Audiovisual Law, whereby the agencies were prohibited to act on their name and behalf when intermediating the relation between the broadcasters and final beneficiaries when buying advertising airtime.
■ Assistance on new termination rates to be implemented in Romania. Provided assistance to a major telecom operator in relation to the project run by the telecom body following Recommendation no. 2009/396/EC of May 7 2009, related to the mobile and fixed termination rates in the EU for determining the efficient costs for the provision of certain wholesale electronic communications services in Romania based on certain cost calculation models. Muşat & Associates Advised SBS Broadcasting and Discovery Europe Limited Assisted SBS Broadcasting and Discovery Europe Limited, two of the major TV advertising broadcasters, on the implications of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 25/2013, which has dramatically redesigned the Romanian TV advertising market.
