United Group
United Group B.V. is a multinational media conglomerate that operates mass media and telecommunications business across Southeast Europe based in Hoofddorp, Netherlands.
History
United Group was formed in 2007, as a Luxembourg-registered multinational entity, in a merger of Serbia Broadband and two companies named Telemach, one in Slovenia and the other in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Telemach Montenegro became a part of United Group in 2014. Telemach acquired Tušmobil on 1 April 2015. This being a cable acquisition of a mobile network makes it a unique case in the region, and the first step of United Group into providing all telecommunication services in one household.United Group is the largest alternative pay television platform in parts of former Yugoslavia, providing television, internet, landline and mobile telephony providers to both households and businesses.
In 2013, the group started its worldwide OTT platform, NetTV Plus, through which it provides Pay TV and landline telephony services to the former Yugoslav diaspora. As the group’s distribution platforms developed extensively throughout the region, the next step was entering the content and advertising sales business, today represented by United Media.
In March 2014, United Group was bought by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a leading global investment firm with headquarters in New York, and U.S. 94.3 billion in assets under management. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is a co-investor in the company.
In September 2018, a British private equity firm BC Partners began the process of acquisition of the majority stakes of United Group from KKR for an enterprise valuation of 2.6 billion euros. The acquisition was finalized on 4 March 2019.
On 24 December 2020, United Group announced they would buy Bulgaria's Nova Broadcasting Group; the acquisition was completed on 22 January 2021.
Technological development
The company was the first to offer digital landline telephony services in 2012. This was also the year United Group launched the first application for watching television and using TV services on different mobile devices.In 2016, United Group established United Cloud, the in-house technology and software "innovation center".
In September 2017, Eon TV platform was launched, which allows viewers in Serbia to watch TV via a smart TV app. In 2018, United Group launched Eon Smart Box, which was the first regional solution to combine television with Android services and applications.
In 2018, United Group also partnered with Fon Wireless to expand its Wi-Fi network and enable regional customers the access to more than 68 million Wi-Fi hotspots all over the world.
Telecommunication platforms
Today, United Group is the largest alternative pay television platform in the former Yugoslavia region, providing television, Internet, landline, and mobile telephony to a large number of households and offices in the region through its cable, DTH and OTT platforms.The Group provides services across four key brands:
- Telemach – mobile provider, landline phone and Internet provider, TV services provider in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia.
- Nova – Greek mobile provider, landline phone and Internet provider, TV services provider. It also owns several channels, namely Nova Cinema, Novasports, and Nova Life. These channels are offered only to satellite TV subscribers. The company comes from the merger of Nova with Wind Hellas which was acquired by United Group on August 16, 2021.
- Vivacom – Bulgarian mobile provider, landline phone and Internet provider, TV services provider. Vivacom is the ex national Telecommunications provider of Bulgaria.
United Media
- Cinemania
- Brainz
- Diema
- Diema Family
- Diema Sport 1
- Diema Sport 2
- Diema Sport 3
- Doma TV
- Fight Channel
- Grand 1
- Grand 2
- IDJ TV
- Kino NOVA
- Magic TV
- Lov i ribolov
- Mini TV
- N1
- Nova BH
- Nova BUL
- Nova BUL News
- Nova Cinema 1
- Nova Cinema 2
- Nova Cinema 3
- Nova Cinema 4
- Nova CRO
- Nova Life
- Nova M
- Nova Sport BUL
- Nova Sports News
- Nova Sports Prime
- Nova Sports Start
- Nova Sports 1
- Nova Sports 2
- Nova Sports 3
- Nova Sports 4
- Nova Sports 5
- Nova Sports 6
- Nova SRB
- Pikaboo
- Sport Klub 1
- Sport Klub 2
- Sport Klub 3
- Sport Klub 4
- Sport Klub 4K
- Sport Klub 5
- Sport Klub 6
- Sport Klub 7
- Sport Klub 8
- Sport Klub 9
- Sport Klub 10
- Sport Klub Golf
- Sport Klub HD
- The Voice
- Vavoom
Advertising space
Documentaries
- Discovery Channel Serbia
- Brainz
- Viasat History
- Viasat Explore
General entertainment
- Nova SRB
- Grand 1
- TLC
- Investigation Discovery
- E!
- IDJ TV
- HGTV
Children
- Pikaboo
- Vavoom
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr. Channel
Films
- Cinemania
- AXN
- Cinestar
- Cinestar Action
- Diva TV
- TV1000
- Nova Max
- Nova Series
News
- N1
Sports
- Lov i ribolov
Legal disputes & criticism
When Vivacom announced that it would be buying smaller regional companies, it faced backlash from PPF, owner of Yettel Bulgaria, and A1 Bulgaria, since the acquisitions would give them a monopoly in multiple provinces, including Ruse, Silistra, Varna, Razgrad and Sofia. Vivacom denied the claims that it was monopolising the market.
In mid-August 2025, leaked internal communications and photos, published by OCCRP, revealed that Stan Miller, the new CEO of United Group, traveled to Belgrade for meetings with Vladimir Lučić, CEO of state-owned Telekom Srbija. These discussions reportedly focused on weakening United Media, particularly N1, one of the last independent broadcasters in Serbia.
Miller reportedly acknowledged that he understood the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's dissatisfaction with Subotić not having been dismissed yet but asked for more time, citing the need to implement other prior changes.