Billionaire John Malone is the US cable magnate who built the largest cable television operator in Europe through acquisitions. Malone said that he might consider offers for Liberty Global Plc. He also said that he is happy with how the company is at present.
Vodafone Group approached a near deal valued at USD130 billion. The deal was for the sale of its stake in US venture Verizon Wireless. Last June, Vodafone had agreed to acquire Kabel Deutschland Holding AG. Industry speculations led to probability that Liberty Global might be Vodafone's next target.
In an email sent to Bloomberg News, Malone said "As a fiduciary for our shareholders, we would consider any proposals. However, we're happy as we are at LGI and think well positioned to grow and create shareholder value as an independent."
Liberty Global operates in 14 countries including the Netherlands and Germany. The company has a market capitalization of USD30 billion. The London-based cable operator reported a net debt around USD42 billion as of June 30. This year, it acquired Virgin Media Inc. for USD16 billion. It had also raised its stake in Dutch cable provider Ziggo NV.
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