PRK Partners advised Bauer Media Group on the Czech legal aspects of the merger of part of its business with Netrisk Group that combines their Online Comparison Platform (OCP) businesses in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This transaction marks the creation of a leading OCP business across six countries in the CEE region operating together as Netrisk Group.
The partnership brings together Bauer Media Group's OCP operations in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia with Netrisk Group's OCP business in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania. The partnership combines the parties’ complementary OCP businesses and will create a leading OCP platform in these CEE countries that is also one of the largest in Europe. Upon completion of the transaction, Bauer Media Group will hold a significant minority stake in the joint venture alongside TA Associates and MCI Capital. The JV is expected to reach 80 million potential customers. Bauer Media Group, which will continue to operate its own OCP business under separate brands in Spain (Acierto), Sweden, Norway, and Finland (Zmarta), will further strengthen its position in the European OCP market through this partnership, while Netrisk Group will gain access to a larger and growing international market. Completion of the transaction is subject to the customary closing conditions and regulatory reviews and approvals.