Vivendi is a French company specialized in the media and telecommunications, dimensioned with the Bourse de Paris (where it belongs to the index CAC 40).
Its main activities are the edition and the musical distribution (with Universal Music Group), paid television (Groupe Canal Plus), the televisual film production and, the production of video games (Vivendi Games), the Mobile telephony (with SFR) and fixes (with Neuf Cegetel). It carries out the majority of sound Turnover in France.

Historically specialized in the services with the Territorial collectivities (water, transport, environment) under the name of General Company of Water , the company was reinforced little by little in the New technologies under the impulse of its media president Jean-Marie Messier in the end of the Années 1990, it until excess in 2002. The company, renamed Vivendi Universal in 2000 then become again Vivendi very runs in 2006, was restored this unrestrained growth financially, but remains convalescent out of purse.

In 2006, called parliamentary amendments amendments Vivendi-Universal because of their proposal by the lobbyist of this firm, was adopted in the Bill DADVSI. These amendments penalize the realization of certain types of Logiciel S possibly which can be used with the Contrefaçon on line as Donnée S protected, like films.

Vivendi is today one of principal the Content providers in Europe.

History

A group of services more than centenary

Vivendi is a company dating from the middle of the 19th century.

It was created by imperial decree in 1853 under the name of general Compagnie of water. It then provided water to Lyon.

The company started a diversification of the activities at the beginning of the Années 1980, while investing in the management of waste, energy, transport, construction and the real estate: i.e. in the public service delegation ( utilities ) and in the orders of the public authorities.

The Dejouany era

The group developed in new trades under the presidency of Guy Dejouany.

In 1983, the General Company of Water took part in the creation of Canal +, the first paying television channel in France. In the Years 1990, it started to invest in telecommunications and the media, and in 1996 it created the group Cegetel, a telephone company fixed and mobile, present via the marks Tam Tam (pager), AOL (Internet), the 7 (telephone) and SFR (mobile).

In the middle of the years 1990, the General one of Water remained however a company relatively Franco-French and close to the political circles because depend on the government orders and public services.

The years J2M

See also: Jean-Marie Messier

Guy Dejouany took the bet to choose like successor a person external with the group: Jean-Marie Messier, a young associate of Lazard, which took indeed its station the June 27th 1996. The group inherited by Messier had become a conglomerate various activities, whose heart remained the trades of water. La Générale des Eaux was also present in electricity, telecommunications, the building, cleanliness… Very quickly famous J2M , its new president decided to make take the way of new technologies and the media at the worthy centenary and this with a frantic rate and especially always under the fire of the projectors.

Forced march towards the Media S

In 1997, J2M demolishes private clinics of the group.

Beginning 1998, the General one of Water approaches Havas. , a group him as more as centenary. By doing this, the group reinforces its participation in Canal Plus, and acquires various credits in particular in publicity. In May 1998, the general Company of water changed its name into Vivendi , a company which goes on its two legs - the communication and environment - to the dires of its chairman. The goal was to have a more international name, and to demolish old name which made it possible to make a too fast bringing together with the political matters related to the General Company of Water, which is also the name of its subsidiary company in water.

Side Communication the activities will be gathered in " Vivendi communication": one can in particular quote the activities of the Group Cegetel first private operator of Télécommunication S, Havas with his poles editions and press, and of the Channel Group +,…

Side environment the activities will be gathered in " Vivendi environnement" : one can in particular raise the activities of General of Water, world leader of his sector; Dalkia, for the energy; CGIS and SGE with CBC, for the BTP, world leader of this sector…

Vivendi also yields 25% of its shares in JCDecaux in May 1998.

The following year, it will sell its activities of construction, SGE, which will be at the origin of the group VINCI, and CGIS groups it whose activities will be resold with Accor, Unibail, Nexity, Foncia…

June 2000 fusion with Seagram and Canal+: J2M to declare with the newspapers " whore who I am heureux".

With the ridge of his glory, the media chairman becomes for the press J6M , for Jean-Marie Messier Myself Main of the World .

The fall

In July 2002, its owner Jean-Marie Messier is constrained to resign of his post of chairman whereas the company is at the edge of the bankruptcy, to take again the expression of certain newspapers. Indeed, the group is close to the suspension of payment at this time, it loses 1 billion dollar per month.

Vivendi Universal announced in March 2003, the countable loss of 23 billion euros, largest of the history for a French company. One year before its media chairman Jean-Marie Messier declared that it was “better than well! ”.

A group in full recombining

He succeed Jean-Rene Fourtou the post of chairman. The president of the directory is Jean-Bernard Levy. Then begin a spring cleaning in the credits of the group and a reflection on the strategy future.

End 2003, Vivendi Universal resold the company of edition Vivendi Universal Publishing (except Vivendi Universal Games) with the Groupe Lagardere, to satisfy the need pressing for liquidities. This subsidiary company was indeed the only transferable one immediately. It was also a question of joining together the sums necessary to the repurchase of the shares of BT Group in Cegetel which enabled him to become majority in the mobile telephone operator SFR.

In 2003, Vivendi Universal Net, which gathered activities Internet of the group is dismantled. This strategy of regrouping of these activities, elaborate at the time of the Bubble Internet, proved to be a failure. In addition, the main part of the international activities of Channel + are yielded (Italy, Benelux, Scandinavia…) or closed (Morocco).

In May 2004, Vivendi Universal yielded its credits American media Vivendi Universal Entertainment, with General Electric which had already the NBC group. In exchange, Vivendi Universal recovers 20% of the new group NBC Universal (that is to say the ceiling of control by a foreign shareholder of one of the wide-area networks televised in the United States, here NBC in fact) as 14 billion euros.

A new departure

In August 2004, Bercy grants to Vivendi the tax mode world Bénéfice consolidated. , allowing him more quickly to use the tax credits resulting from the vertiginous losses of the previous years.

The April 20th 2006, the group takes again the name of Vivendi.

Activities of the group Vivendi (May 2006)

Vivendi is from now on a group centred on telecommunications and the entertainments, two branches of industry among those posting more the strong growths:

Telecommunications

Cofounder of Group SFR-CEGETEL, with Vodafone and during the first historical time with Mannesmann, SBC, British Telecom, Vivendi is present in this trade strong contributor in result and treasury. This telecommunication activity was initiated under the era of General of water (Mr. Dejouany) and represented, during the high time, an activity of almost 8 billion euros with: 35000 collaborators.

SFR

  • SFR (majority shareholder with 56%, the balance being held by the British Vodafone)).
    • After having let Vivendi amalgamate different the holdings from control of Cegetel, SFR passes from the statute of subsidiary company to that of head office of the activity of telecommunications to France.
    • In 2005, the activity of fixed telephone, from now on the only one to keep Cegetel name, is brought to Neuf Telecom in exchange of 28% of the capital of the new unit. Renamed Neuf Cegetel, the landline operator is held to 40,7% by SFR after various repurchases of minority shares.
    • Vivendi testified, on several occasions these last years, of its interest in the field them telecommunications while affirming to want to repurchase the participation of vodafone in SFR and to increase the participation of SFR in Neuf Cegetel

Maroc Telecom

Vivendi holds 53% of the Moroccan historical operator.

Media

Group Canal Plus

Pole Television, Cinema and Internet primarily based in France, with like principal constituent:

Vivendi Ranges

Pole play, famous for its expertise in the online games (World off Warcraft), of which studios/editors:
  • Blizzard Entertainment
  • Sierra Entertainment
  • On-line Sierra
  • Vivendi Ranges Mobile
  • Activision (operation of repurchase announced on December 2nd, 2007)

Universal Music Group

Pole music, world number one, of which the most known labels are:
  • Island Def Jam Music Group
  • Interscope Geffen A&M Records
  • Mercury Records
  • Polydor
  • Universal Motown Records Group
  • Decca
  • Deutsche Grammophon
  • Philips

Operations in progress

  • Universal Music Group is repurchasing Bertelsmann Music Group Publishing for 1,63 billion euros.

  • SFR is repurchasing the activities fixed and Internet Tele 2 France for 353 million euros.
  • Channel + Groupe amalgamates the majority of its French activities with TPS to form Canal + France.

Recent operations

  • Neuf Cegetel repurchased AOL France for 288 Million Euros
  • Neuf Cegetel repurchased Club Internet - T-Online France SAS for 460 Million Euros

Censure

  • the subsidiary company Maroc Telecom of Vivendi, via its service of access to Internet (Fai) practical Menara a Censure on certain services Internet without any legal base, in particular the access to the software of images by sattelites Google Earth, like some sites like the platform of blogs Livejournal… with reading
here

Participations

  • NBC Universal (20%)
  • Elektrim and via this one part of Polish mobile network ERA (in litigation since long years, this participation was reduced to zero in the accounts of Vivendi)
  • Sogecable (4.45%)

Management of the firm

Presidents and administrators of the group

  • Founders constitutive General meeting 23 July 27th, 1853: Napoleon Lannes Duke of Montebello, vice-president, Count Henri de Pourtalès-Gorgier, Count Henri d' Avigdor, German Jean Henri Nouton, Joseph-Xavier de Lizardi, Auguste Dassier, John Masterman, John Sadleir, Major J. - has. Moore, Joseph Paxton.
  • Henri Siméon (1803-1874), count of the Empire, prefect and deputy, cofounder, first president of 1853 to 1861.
  • Sir Edward Blount (1809-1905), administrator in 1853, 2nd president of 1861 to 1902, founder in 1864 then president of the General society of 1886 to 1901.
  • Barthelemy Childish Prosper said the Childish Father (1796-1864), X 1813, administrator and director of 1853 with his death.
  • Rodolphe Hottinguer (1835-1920), Regent of Banque de France, Vice-president of the Company of the PLM and the Savings bank, President of the Othoman Imperial Bank, administrator in 1860 then President of General of Water of 1902 to 1920.
  • Count Foy, administrator of 1876 to 1907, related with the Pintail-Will and the Gerard.
  • Count Pintail-Will, son-in-law of the count Foy, administrator in 1907.
  • Albert Mallet, administrator in 1879, Vice-president of 1902 to 1924 then replaced by Jacques Mallet.
  • Alexandre Gerard (1819-1899), civil engineer, vice-president of Saint-Gobain, administrator of General of Water of 1879 to 1889, father of the following:
  • Alphonse Gerard (1861-1945), X 1879, president de Saint-Gobain, administrator in 1889, president of 1920 to 1945, father of the following:
  • Robert Gerard (1899-1998), X-Mines, commander of the Legion of Honor, administrator then president of 1946 to 1972.
  • Georges Huvelin (death in 1976), X-Mines and school of the Eastern Languages: 1972 - 1976
  • Guy Dejouany: X-Pont&Chaussées 1976 - 1996
  • Jean-Marie Messier: 1996 - July 2002
  • Jean-Rene Fourtou: 2002 - 2005
  • Jean-Bernard Levy: 2005 -

Board of directors

  • Jean-Rene Fourtou

Financial data

*: with fixed exchange rate

Presentation, Figures key 2005:

Stock exchange data

  • Shares quoted with the Bourse de Paris
  • Member of the index CAC 40
  • Code Value ISIN = FR0000127771
  • Face value = euro

See too

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