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Deutsche Telekom's 5G launch; Telenor deal collapse; Facebook Watch partners

TOP NEWS

* Deutsche Telekom AG launched its 5G network in parts of Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Darmstadt and Munich in Germany. The telecom giant will deploy 5G services in Hamburg and Leipzig by year-end, extending coverage to at least 20 German cities by end-2020.

* Dutch operator KPN NV appointed Dominique Leroy CEO and management board chairman, effective Dec. 1. Leroy, who has been CEO at Proximus in Belgium since 2014, will succeed Maximo Ibarra who will resign Sept. 30. Meanwhile, Leroy pleaded for the preservation of the Belgian government's interest in Proximus, Het Financieele Dagblad reports. Leroy reportedly added that any speculation about a merger between KPN and Proximus is unjustified.

* Facebook Inc. added several European publishers to its YouTube competitor Watch. Among them are German publishers Springer, Hubert Burda Media and Gruner + Jahr AG & Co. KG, which will develop and deliver exclusive video content for the video platform. The social media giant also teamed up with France's Le Monde.fr and Sweden's Expressen for the provision of original content on the company's streaming platform, Variety reports.

* Axiata Group Bhd. and Telenor ASA agreed to end talks to combine their telecom and infrastructure assets in Asia, citing "some complexities" involved in the deal. Neither ruled out a possible future transaction.

* The Irish Data Protection Commission reached out to Facebook for information about a recent security breach that hit about 419 million user records, TechCrunch reports, citing a statement from the regulator's spokesperson. The U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office is coordinating with DPC regarding the matter.

PAN-EUROPEAN

* Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. said its redesigned Galaxy Fold, a 5G-ready device, will launch shortly in select markets including France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. Samsung canceled all online preorders for the foldable handset to "rethink the entire customer experience," according to The Verge.

* KKR & Co.-backed Selecta Group BV and SoftwareONE AG are planning September IPOs to avoid potential market volatility tied to the U.K.'s planned exit from the EU, Reuters reports.

* The European Commission approved the proposed acquisition of U.S. security technology solutions provider Digicert Parent Inc. by investment firms Clearlake Capital Group LP and TA Associates Management LP.

UK AND IRELAND

* Imagine Communications Group Ltd. completed the first stage of a €300 million investment in its 5G rollout, which it claims to be capable of delivering internet speeds of up to 150 Mbps, Dublin's The Irish Times reports. The Irish wireless broadband operator will offer a high-speed broadband service for €60 per month, with a setup fee of €150.

* Liberty Global PLC unit Virgin Media extended its ultrafast broadband network to Ossett in England as part of its Project Lightning program. Fiber-to-the-premises services have been made available to more than 4,000 premises in Ossett.

* Global media services company Red Bee Media Ltd. is providing playout and access services to channels operated by public broadcaster Channel 4 (UK), as part of an expanded tie-up.

GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA

* Munich prosecutors are investigating software company FinFisher over suspected illegal delivery of spying software to Turkey, Reuters reports. Software by the Munich-based company was allegedly used to spy on phones, according to reports from German broadcasters NDR, BR and WDR, as well as newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.

FRANCE

* After Orange SA ceased broadcasting Altice France SA channels BFMTV, RMC Story and RMC Découverte, Altice France CEO Alain Weill said the French telco can resume broadcasting the channels free of charge, ending a dispute which has lasted several months, Les Échos reports. Iliad SA's Free is expected to receive the same offer.

* French telecom regulator ARCEP published its survey of the fixed broadband and very-high-speed broadband market for the second quarter. Subscriptions stood at 29.4 million, an increase of 90,000 over the previous quarter and 690,000 year over year.

NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM and LUXEMBOURG

* Dutch Minister of Media Arie Slob established a cooperation plan between Dutch media parties NPO, De Persgroep NV, KPN, Mediahuis NV, NOS, RTL Nederland, Talpa Network, VodafoneZiggo and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Broadcast Magazine reports. Slob's plan reportedly aims to ensure a sustainable future for the Dutch media industry.

* Dutch broadcasters must quickly adapt to the growing use of online media, the Council for Culture recommended to Minister of Media Arie Slob, Villamedia reports. The Council reportedly said that before 2021, Dutch viewers must be able to view all Dutch productions on one platform, which will require the government, public and commercial channels to work together.

NORDIC COUNTRIES

* Nordic Entertainment Group AB will shake up its organizational and operations model, effective Oct. 1. The new setup is based on specialties that operate across the group in areas such as people, sales, content, marketing and technology. As part of the move, NENT Studios, the company's production business comprising 32 companies across 17 countries, will be split into three units covering the Nordic region and central and eastern Europe, the U.K. and the U.S.

* Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm told company employees that he is not about to leave the position, Reuters reports, citing an internal note. Dagens Industri recently reported that he is to step down, possibly to be replaced by Saab CEO Håkan Buskhe. Ekholm has held the position since January 2017.

* Swedish online gaming system provider NetEnt AB is acquiring casino software company Red Tiger. NetEnt will initially pay £200 million for the company, with a further £23 million possibly paid in 2022.

* European lower midmarket private equity firm Volpi Capital LLP completed the management buyout of Asolvi AS, which provides service management software, from Viking Venture AS. As part of the transaction, financial terms of which were not disclosed, Volpi will acquire a majority stake in Asolvi.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

* Italian competition authority Agcom is conducting an investigation on Fondi Italiani per le Infrastrutture SGR SpA's planned acquisition of Telecom Italia SpA unit Persidera SpA, Reuters reports. The probe is looking into the transaction's potential to bring F2i into a dominant position in the market, considering its existing stake ownership in EI Towers SpA.

* The new Italian government approved legislation that would allow its use of special powers for 5G network deals, Reuters reports. The government has already established conditions and requirements for 5G-related goods and services that will be made by Vodafone Group PLC unit Vodafone Italia SpA.

* Mediaset SpA's board approved the company's acquisition of up to €50 million of shares in Mediaset España Comunicación SA in relation to the formation of MFE – Mediaforeurope NV, Telecompaper reports. In addition, Mediaset said its shareholder Vivendi SA made a "false statement" when it said shareholders "overwhelmingly voted against" the Mediaforeurope venture.

* Spain-headquartered Telefónica SA will invest about 26.5 billion Brazilian reais until 2020, representing an investment of about 9 billion reais annually, starting 2018, Telecompaper reports, citing a statement from company CEO Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete.

EASTERN EUROPE

* Russian operator MegaFon tapped Ericsson to develop a nationwide transport network. Under the three-year contract, Ericsson will supply mobile transport solutions based on its MINI-LINK platform.

* Russia has threatened German broadcaster Deutsche Welle with the withdrawal of its broadcasting license, Tagesspiegel reports. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the station of interfering in internal affairs.

* Megogo.net has opened a studio which will be used for production of its own content, Broadband TV News reports, citing Kommersant. The Russian streaming service plans to shoot around five to seven films annually, together will entertainment and nonfiction shows.

* Telekom Srbija a.d.'s Bosnian unit Mtel has completed its acquisition of Banja Luka-based cable and internet service provider Elta Kabel, Broadband TV News reports, citing Capital.

* Yandex NV and the National Hockey League entered into a multiyear agreement that will see the former streaming NHL hockey games in the country. The agreement will commence during the 2019-20 season, which opens Oct. 2.

* The Czech Republic's finance ministry plans to begin imposing digital tax on internet companies by mid-2020, Reuters reports. The government unit has proposed a 7% levy on targeted advertising, multilateral digital interface use and user data sales.

* The Polish government is considering launching a 5G auction from December to January 2020, to meet the European Union's June 30, 2020, deadline for allocating frequencies, Telecompaper reports. Polish operators are expected to launch 5G networks by the end of 2020.

FEATURED NEWS

Hires and Fires Europe: Former BT CEO to join Salesforce; TalkTalk Business gets new managing director: Former British Telecom CEO Gavin Patterson is joining Salesforce as chairman for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while British operator TalkTalk named Jonathan Kini as the new managing director of its TalkTalk Business unit.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Broadcast Investor: New Kagan Report: Economics of Internet Music and Radio 2019: For the top streaming music services, a cultural shift to subscription-based revenue models has led to a steady revenue stream with less reliance on advertising to drive the bottom line.

Economics of Internet: Established prime-time series dominate spring digital video rankings: Top prime-time series in the spring TV season drew sizable digital audiences ranging from 2 million to more than 5 million monthly viewers.

Anne Freier, Sylvia Edwards Davis, Marieke Pijnappels and Esben Svendsen contributed to this report.

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