Freshfields advises Liberty Global on the acquisition of Vodafone’s 50% shareholding in VodafoneZiggo and the transfer of all Benelux assets, including Telenet, into Ziggo Group

Global law firm Freshfields has acted as lead adviser to Liberty Global Ltd (“LG”) on the entry into definitive agreements with Vodafone Group Plc to acquire Vodafone’s 50% shareholding in the Dutch telecommunication joint venture, VodafoneZiggo. Under the terms of the agreements, Vodafone will receive € 1 bn in cash and a 10% shareholding in Ziggo Group, a new Benelux company that will hold LG’s interests in VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Telenet in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The transaction will enable LG to fully unlock the value of its Benelux operating businesses for shareholders, supported by plans to list Ziggo Group in 2027 on Euronext in Amsterdam by spin off the 90% held by Liberty Global to its shareholders.

The multijurisdictional cross-practice team was led by Partners Hanneke Rothbarth (Corporate/M&A, Amsterdam) and Deborah Janssens (Corporate/M&A, Brussels), Counsel Marius Weyers (Corporate/M&A, Amsterdam), Principal Associate Joachim De Vos (Corporate/M&A, Brussels), and Associates Anne Zwolsman (Corporate/M&A, Amsterdam) and Sarah Wauthion (Corporate/M&A, Brussels). Tax advice was provided by Partner Bob Van Kasteren and Senior Associate Daan Van Schaik (both Amsterdam).

The wider Freshfields team included Partners Alvaro Pliego Selie (Amsterdam), Sacha Schubert (Brussels), Tone Oeyen (Brussels), Principal Associate Björn Sijtsma (Brussels) and Associates Henri Putman (Brussels) and Veerle Peters (Amsterdam) for antitrust and regulatory advice. Partners Brechje Nollen (Amsterdam) and Satya Staes Polet (Brussels), and Associate Lotte Somers (Amsterdam) advised on the employment aspects. For commercial advice, Partner David Brooks (London), Counsel Tom Dye (London) and Associate Hannah Family (London). And for other corporate advice Partner Rhys Evans (London), Associates Riet Devriendt (Brussels) and Emma O’Keeffe (London).