By Mathias Wildt
PARIS (Reuters) - Italian yellow pages publisher Seat Pagine Gialle (PGIT.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is ready to sell its businesses outside Italy as it shifts strategy to tap growth in its home country, Chief Executive Luca Majocchi said.
"Internationally we are more opportunistic now," Majocchi told the Reuters Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in Paris on Wednesday.
"We are listening for potential interest. Seat Italy is strategic. Anything outside this perimeter is potentially not strategic."
Seat, Italy's third-largest media group, is shifting its attention back to Italy to mine a boom in Internet use in the country instead of looking for growth abroad. That means units Telegate in Germany, Thomson Directories in Britain and Europages in France are on the auction block.
The non-Italian units together account for 80 million euros ($126.1 million) in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), Majocchi said. He declined to give the units a value, saying they each had different multiples.
Seat had not been formally approached by a potential buyer, Majocchi said.
Rival Yell Group Plc (YELL.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday it was not interested in Thomson Directories because of likely opposition from antitrust authorities.
Seat publishes print and Internet directories and owns directory assistance numbers the public can call for a fee in Italy, France, Germany and Britain. Italy is Seat's largest and most profitable operation. Continued...
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