The Italian continuous operation for Vivendi. After recently become the Italian operator Telecom Italia shareholder, which it now owns 24.9%, the Bollore group strikes a blow to the other side of the Alps in concluding this Friday with Mediaset , owned by Italian magnate Silvio Berlusconi, a “strategic agreement” that provides for the repurchase of the Mediaset Premium pay-TV channel by Vivendi (Canal + owner) and the launch of a content platform capable of competing with the US Netflix. This in the broader context of an exchange of shareholdings.
Streaming
In a statement indeed, Vivendi said that under the agreement, part 3, 5% of its shares will be exchanged “against 3.5% stake in Mediaset and 100% of the capital of the Mediaset Premium pay-TV company”, held until now to 89% by Mediaset and 11% by the Spanish group Telefonica.
This particular installation is the result of the difference in market capitalization of the two groups (some 25 billion euros for the French, a little more than 4 billion for the Italian company.
the agreement contains a clause of “lock-up” with Vivendi inability to climb above 5% during the first three années.Concernant joining the board of the group Bollore, a “longtime friend” Berlusconi, 79, according to him, his son said not to exclude this to happen, but has he said, we speak of “listed companies, it is not simple and now it’s not expected. “
the bouquet, which has in particular the rights of the Champions League football until 2018, posted a net loss of 83, 8 million euros. It had 2.01 million subscribers in late December, against 1.7 million six months earlier. By comparison, its competitor Sky Italia 4.7 million. Mediaset also controls three channels of free and herztiennes television in Italy (Canale 5, Rete 4 and Italia 1).
Pan European Group
This agreement will include creating the first platform European streaming content “with the convergence of the two groups structures in Italy, France, Spain and Germany, to offer” a wide range of films and TV cells wide. “
Speaking of the agreement, Arnaud Puyfontaine of the CEO of Vivendi, stated that “this investment demonstrated once more our commitment and our close ties with Italy: the confirmation of our strategy, always repeated to create a pan-European group leader the media and content production. “
the completion of this agreement, which is expected in the coming months, is subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities.”
the title flames Stock Exchange
Mediaset, whose title Friday climbed 5.4% in the Milan Stock Exchange pending the agreement, stressed that the project would enable Vivendi ‘s emergence of a new major player in the area of content “with the creation of a new structure, based for distribution on television networks of both groups in Italy, France and Spain.
for several weeks, the Italian media were buzzing with rumors about the supposed interest of Vivendi to Mediaset, especially for Premium, while the french group began a year ago to set up in Italy, triggering speculation .
the group Bolloré has become the reference shareholder of the Italian operator Telecom Italia.
“We believe the integration between telecom companies and broadcasting, “said recently the CEO of Vivendi, Arnaud de Puyfontaine.
According to the Italian press, Vivendi would continue to close his shop in Italy. The group is also interested in the country by the production company Cattleya ( “Crime Novel,” Gomorrah “).
When asked by the media, the vice president of Mediaset Pier Silvio Berlusconi, indicated for its part that the agreement did not mean the output of the Berlusconi family’s media sector. “Instead, we have the will and I say with great conviction to invest and develop. Proof are investments in radio, in books and Banzai. “
The operation is a key step of the project of Vincent Bolloré to create a media empire in southern Europe can Sky and rival US giant Netflix online video.
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