Rymarz Zdort advises Groupe CANAL+ on its acquisition of 70% of the shares in SPI International B.V.

Rymarz Zdort advised Groupe CANAL+  (the “Buyer”) on its acquisition of 70% of the shares in SPI International B.V., the majority shareholder of Kino Polska TV S.A., from Cooperatieve SPI International U.A.

Groupe CANAL+ is a leading world pay-TV operator and major player in free-to-air television in France. CANAL+ has a wide international footprint with a presence in 40 countries in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Europe, CANAL+ has a strong presence in mainland France and Poland and has also acquired the M7 Group platform in 2019. Following the transaction, the Buyer will indirectly take over control of 12,913,285 shares in Kino Polska TV S.A. representing 65.15% of the company’s share capital.

SPI International is a global media group that has been a leading broadcaster and distributor of theatrical films and television programming for over 25 years. SPI’s portfolio includes free to air and pay TV channels available in CEE, Western Europe, CIS and the Balkans, including Poland, Czechia, Romania, Serbia, Russia and the Netherlands. SPI’s offer includes channels such as Kino Polska, Stopklatka and Dizi, as well as the FilmBox and Film1 brands.

The closing of the transaction remains subject to conditions precedent including the procurement of approvals from the Polish and Hungarian anti-trust authorities.

The Rymarz Zdort transaction team was headed by Dr Marek Maciąg, a partner in the corporate department, who was assisted by associate Monika Michałowska. The team that conducted the due diligence process comprised Monika Kierepa, a partner in the corporate department and the head of the intellectual property practice, Marek Kanczew, counsel, as well as Hubert Bracichowicz, Aleksandra Pietrzak and Piotr Króliński, associates from the corporate department. Antitrust matters were handled by Iwona Her, a partner in the corporate department and the head of the antitrust and competition law practice, Antonina Falandysz-Zięcik, a senior associate, and Karolina Chudy, an associate.