KDDI to Acquire 37.8% Stake in JCOM
January 29, 2010
Japanese telecom operator KDDI announced on January 25 that the company will take a 37.8% stake in Jupiter Telecommunications, or JCOM, a Japan-based cable TV operator, Reuters reported on January 26, as part of its effort to convert itself into a triple-play service provider. KDDI's investment in JOM is valued at around US$4 billion. With 48 cable TV stations and the service coverage including 14 prefectures in Japan, JCOM had 3.27 million households subscribing to its cable TV service as of December 31, 2009, Nikkei reported on January 26. Through the acquisition, KDDI aims to push its cable TV market share to nearly 50% and the number of subscribers to over nine million, according again to Nikkei. Aside from KDDI, Sumitomo holds a 27.7% stake in JCOM, making it the second largest shareholder.