(RTTNews) - Liberty Global Ltd (LBTYA), a telecommunications company, on Wednesday said it has agreed to acquire Vodafone Group Plc's 50% stake in its Dutch joint venture, VodafoneZiggo, in a deal that will give Vodafone €1.0 billion in cash and a 10% stake in a newly formed Benelux entity to be named Ziggo Group.
Ziggo Group will hold Liberty Global's interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet in Belgium. Both VodafoneZiggo and Telenet will continue operating under their existing brands and management teams.
Liberty Global plans to list Ziggo Group on Euronext Amsterdam in 2027 and spin off the 90% stake it will own to shareholders. The companies have also entered into long-term service agreements to ensure operational continuity.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
Goldman Sachs and LionTree are acting as financial advisers to Liberty Global.
Mike Fries, Chairman and CEO of Liberty Global, said: "By combining these assets, we are creating a regional powerhouse comprised of two converged national FMC champions operating in rational markets- an attractive platform with strong prospects for sustained free cash flow generation."
Liberty Global shares were up more than 3% in pre-market trading after closing at $11.16 on Tuesday.
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