Empresas y finanzas

Providence Equity Partners Invests Over $200 Million in Volia Cable



    SigmaBleyzer announced today that Providence Equity Partners, the
    world´s leading media and communications private equity firm, is
    investing over US$200 million in Volia Cable. Volia Cable is the
    leading Ukrainian cable TV and Internet access provider and is
    controlled by UGF III, a SigmaBleyzer-managed private equity fund.
    This transaction is the largest Western private equity investment in
    Ukraine, illustrating the interest of Western investors in Ukrainian
    companies. The transaction is expected to close in December of 2007.

    "We are very pleased to partner with Providence, a leading private
    equity investor and one of the largest and most experienced owners of
    media and communications companies globally," said Michael Bleyzer,
    President and CEO of SigmaBleyzer. "This is a natural step forward for
    Volia Cable, SigmaBleyzer and Volia Cable´s other shareholders.
    SigmaBleyzer will continue to play an active role in the Ukrainian
    cable sector, and we look forward to Providence´s support as we
    continue to grow Volia Cable as the leading cable and broadband
    provider in Ukraine. It is also our belief that attracting the highest
    quality global investors like Providence will have a positive effect
    on the Ukrainian economy and investment climate and will further
    promote Ukraine as an important investment destination."

    "Our company is dedicated to providing the highest quality
    products, supported by outstanding customer service", said Sergey
    Boyko, President of Volia Cable. "We believe that Providence, as one
    of the world´s leading investors in cable, will help us deliver even
    better products to our customers in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine."

    "This is our seventh significant investment in this sector in
    Europe and our second in Eastern Europe, which is experiencing
    increasing demand for sophisticated television and broadband
    services," said Jonathan M. Nelson, Providence Chief Executive
    Officer. "We continue to believe that quality cable and broadcasting
    companies like Volia are critical service providers with significant
    opportunities for growth and value creation."

    "Volia is an important player in the communications and
    entertainment sector in Ukraine," said John Hahn, a Managing Director
    of Providence and head of the firm´s office in Europe. "We have
    extensive holdings in cable businesses across Western Europe and are
    excited about the opportunity to marry that expertise with the great
    business that SigmaBleyzer and the Volia management teams have built."

    Goldman Sachs International and UBS Investment Bank acted as
    financial advisors to SigmaBleyzer. Lazard acted as financial advisors
    to Providence.

    About Providence Equity Partners Inc.

    Providence Equity Partners is the leading global private equity
    firm specializing in equity investments in media, entertainment,
    communications and information companies around the world. The
    principals of Providence manage funds with approximately $21 billion
    in equity commitments and have invested in more than 100 companies
    operating in over 20 countries since the firm´s inception in 1989.
    Significant investments include Bresnan Broadband Holdings, Casema,
    Com Hem, Digiturk, Education Management Corporation, eircom, Freedom
    Communications, Hulu, Idea Cellular, Kabel Deutschland,
    Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, NexTag, Ono, Open Solutions, PanAmSat,
    ProSiebenSat.1, Recoletos, TDC, Univision, VoiceStream Wireless,
    Warner Music Group, Western Wireless and Yankees Entertainment and
    Sports Network. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI (USA)
    and has offices in New York, London, Hong Kong and New Delhi.

    About Volia Cable

    Volia Cable is the number one cable TV and Broadband Internet
    provider in Ukraine. Its network connects over 900,000 homes in
    Ukraine, serving over 700,000 RGUs in four cities within Ukraine:
    Kyiv, L´viv, Alchevsk, and Chernivtsy. Volia provides services such as
    analog cable TV, digital cable TV, high-speed cable Internet access,
    VoIP and data services. New services, such as VoD and PPV, are under
    development and will be implemented in the future.

    Volia Cable was initially created through the consolidation of
    three separate companies acquired in 1999 and 2000. Since acquisition,
    Volia has integrated the activities of the original cable operators,
    allowing for significant cost savings by streamlining activities and
    eliminating redundant departments and equipment. Several separate
    cable networks in Kyiv were consolidated around a single digital
    head-end, which allows the company to manage all of its services and
    to distribute its television signal from one location to its
    subscribers. This approach significantly reduces the cost of providing
    services, and gives the company a considerable competitive advantage.

    In addition, the company has completed a trunk network buildout,
    the construction of a fiber optic ring around Kyiv, upgrades of the
    narrowband portions of the network, and the construction of a modern
    call center with computerized customer service information.

    About SigmaBleyzer

    Operating in the region for over a decade, SigmaBleyzer is one of
    the largest and most experienced private equity investors in Eastern
    Europe. With the strength of the company´s local infrastructure,
    western-style management and knowledge of local markets, SigmaBleyzer
    has created one of the best investment management companies in the
    region. SigmaBleyzer manages funds and special purpose investment
    vehicles with approximately $1 billion in commitments and has made
    investments in over 80 companies in Ukraine since 1994.

    As a manager of a family of private equity funds currently
    investing in Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan, SigmaBleyzer
    utilizes a hybrid investment approach developed specifically for
    emerging markets and focused on simultaneous value creation at the
    micro or enterprise level and at the macro level. Because of this
    unique approach and strong on-the-ground presence in a region where
    many of its investors could not have invested directly, SigmaBleyzer
    brings one of the most attractive pipelines of investment
    opportunities found anywhere to its client base.

    With offices in Kyiv and Kharkiv (Ukraine); Sofia (Bulgaria),
    Bucharest (Romania), Astana (Kazakhstan), and a back office in
    Houston, Texas, SigmaBleyzer has the infrastructure in its countries
    of operation to successfully manage portfolio companies to help them
    reach their full potential, while creating value for the investors,
    shareholders, employees and other stakeholders.