Liberty Global in takeover talks with Dutch cable group Ziggo

John Malone has stepped up a push to consolidate the European cable industry with Dutch operator Ziggo revealing it was in talks with the US cable tycoon’s corporate flagship Liberty Global.

The news comes just months after Ziggo, which is 30 percent owned by Liberty, rejected a full takeover bid from the US cable group as “inadequate.” It did not disclose how much Liberty was offering at the time. Liberty is already Ziggo’s largest shareholder, having bought a 12.7 percent stake in March for €25 a share. It boosted the holding to 28.5 percent in July. Liberty Global already operates in the Netherlands through its UPC Broadband Holding division.

Ziggo, based in Utrecht, is the largest provider of cable television services in the Netherlands, with about 2.8 million subscribers. The company was created in early 2012 through the merger between former Dutch cable rivals Multikabel, Casema and Kabelcom.