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Vivendi
Vivendi SE (stylized in all lowercase) is a French investment company headquartered in Paris. It currently wholly-owns Gameloft as well as a number of investments in several companies, primarily involved in content, entertainment, media, and telecommunications.
In 2000, Vivendi Universal was created from the merger with Groupe Canal+ and Seagram Company Ltd., owner of Universal Studios. Vivendi sold 80% of Universal to the now-defunct General Electric (GE, owner of NBC) in 2004, forming what is now NBCUniversal. In 2006, it sold off most of the Universal components and its name reverted to Vivendi. GE bought out Vivendi's 20% stake in NBCUniversal during Comcast's acquisition of the latter. As of 2021[update], Vivendi's chairman Yannick Bolloré is also CEO of Havas, which was spun off from Vivendi in 2000, later became a subsidiary, and was spun off again in 2024.
From 2021, Vivendi has spun off its fully owned assets in order to become an investment company. The process started with the floating of 60% of Universal Music Group, the world's largest music business and owned since the creation of Vivendi Universal. In 2024, this process concluded with the spin-off of three of its other fully owned assets into three companies: Canal+ (entertainment), Havas (advertising), and Louis Hachette Group (publishing, distribution, and travel retail). Other investments include stakes in Banijay and MediaForEurope.
On 14 December 1853, a water company named Compagnie générale des eaux (CGE) was created by an imperial decree of Napoleon III. In 1854, CGE obtained a concession in order to supply water to the public in Lyon, serving in that capacity for over a hundred years. In 1861, it obtained a 50-year concession with the City of Paris. CGE also supplied water to Nantes, Venice (from 1880), Istanbul (from 1882) and Porto (from 1883).
Following the appointment of Guy Dejouany as CEO in 1976, CGE extended its activities into other sectors with a series of takeovers. Beginning in 1980, CGE began diversifying from water into waste management, energy, transport services, and construction and property. It acquired the Compagnie générale d'entreprises automobiles (CGEA), specialized in industrial vehicles, which was later divided into two branches: Connex (later Veolia Transport) in 1999 and Onyx Environnement (later Veolia Environmental Services) in 1989. CGE then acquired the Compagnie générale de chauffe, and the Montenay group, with these companies later becoming the Energy Services division of CGE, and later renamed "Dalkia" in 1998.
In 1983, CGE helped to found Canal+, the first pay-TV channel in France, and in the 1990s began expanding into telecommunications and mass media, especially after Jean-Marie Messier succeeded Guy Dejouany on 27 June 1996, acquiring companies such as the Babelsberg Studio.[citation needed] In 1996, CGE created Neuf Cegetel to take advantage of the 1998 deregulation of the French telecommunications market, accelerating the move into the media sector which would culminate in the 2000 demerger into Vivendi Universal and Vivendi Environnement (Veolia).[better source needed]
On 27 March 1998, days after agreeing to fully acquire Havas, Compagnie Générale des Eaux announced it was changing its name to Vivendi. In 2000, it sold off its property and construction divisions the following year to what would become Vinci SA. Vivendi went on to acquire stakes in or merge with Cendant Software, Grupo Anaya, and Maroc Telecom. Beginning in 1998, Vivendi launched digital channels in Italy, Spain, Poland, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
In June 1999, Vivendi merged with Pathé, and the exchange ratio for the merger was fixed at three Vivendi shares for every two Pathé shares. The Wall Street Journal estimated the value of the deal at US$2.59 billion. Following the completion of the merger, Vivendi retained Pathé's interests in British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC and CanalSatellite, a French broadcasting corporation, then sold all remaining assets to Jérôme Seydoux's family-owned holding company, Fornier SA, which changed its name to Pathé.
Vivendi
Vivendi SE (stylized in all lowercase) is a French investment company headquartered in Paris. It currently wholly-owns Gameloft as well as a number of investments in several companies, primarily involved in content, entertainment, media, and telecommunications.
In 2000, Vivendi Universal was created from the merger with Groupe Canal+ and Seagram Company Ltd., owner of Universal Studios. Vivendi sold 80% of Universal to the now-defunct General Electric (GE, owner of NBC) in 2004, forming what is now NBCUniversal. In 2006, it sold off most of the Universal components and its name reverted to Vivendi. GE bought out Vivendi's 20% stake in NBCUniversal during Comcast's acquisition of the latter. As of 2021[update], Vivendi's chairman Yannick Bolloré is also CEO of Havas, which was spun off from Vivendi in 2000, later became a subsidiary, and was spun off again in 2024.
From 2021, Vivendi has spun off its fully owned assets in order to become an investment company. The process started with the floating of 60% of Universal Music Group, the world's largest music business and owned since the creation of Vivendi Universal. In 2024, this process concluded with the spin-off of three of its other fully owned assets into three companies: Canal+ (entertainment), Havas (advertising), and Louis Hachette Group (publishing, distribution, and travel retail). Other investments include stakes in Banijay and MediaForEurope.
On 14 December 1853, a water company named Compagnie générale des eaux (CGE) was created by an imperial decree of Napoleon III. In 1854, CGE obtained a concession in order to supply water to the public in Lyon, serving in that capacity for over a hundred years. In 1861, it obtained a 50-year concession with the City of Paris. CGE also supplied water to Nantes, Venice (from 1880), Istanbul (from 1882) and Porto (from 1883).
Following the appointment of Guy Dejouany as CEO in 1976, CGE extended its activities into other sectors with a series of takeovers. Beginning in 1980, CGE began diversifying from water into waste management, energy, transport services, and construction and property. It acquired the Compagnie générale d'entreprises automobiles (CGEA), specialized in industrial vehicles, which was later divided into two branches: Connex (later Veolia Transport) in 1999 and Onyx Environnement (later Veolia Environmental Services) in 1989. CGE then acquired the Compagnie générale de chauffe, and the Montenay group, with these companies later becoming the Energy Services division of CGE, and later renamed "Dalkia" in 1998.
In 1983, CGE helped to found Canal+, the first pay-TV channel in France, and in the 1990s began expanding into telecommunications and mass media, especially after Jean-Marie Messier succeeded Guy Dejouany on 27 June 1996, acquiring companies such as the Babelsberg Studio.[citation needed] In 1996, CGE created Neuf Cegetel to take advantage of the 1998 deregulation of the French telecommunications market, accelerating the move into the media sector which would culminate in the 2000 demerger into Vivendi Universal and Vivendi Environnement (Veolia).[better source needed]
On 27 March 1998, days after agreeing to fully acquire Havas, Compagnie Générale des Eaux announced it was changing its name to Vivendi. In 2000, it sold off its property and construction divisions the following year to what would become Vinci SA. Vivendi went on to acquire stakes in or merge with Cendant Software, Grupo Anaya, and Maroc Telecom. Beginning in 1998, Vivendi launched digital channels in Italy, Spain, Poland, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
In June 1999, Vivendi merged with Pathé, and the exchange ratio for the merger was fixed at three Vivendi shares for every two Pathé shares. The Wall Street Journal estimated the value of the deal at US$2.59 billion. Following the completion of the merger, Vivendi retained Pathé's interests in British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC and CanalSatellite, a French broadcasting corporation, then sold all remaining assets to Jérôme Seydoux's family-owned holding company, Fornier SA, which changed its name to Pathé.
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