in case you haven't noticed, i'm pretty interested in the goings-on over at messier's little shop. first, he moves to nyc. then, they start buying back media assets here in north america. they have taken an active interest in satellite television in the us. how come this is not making bigger headlines? levin steps down from aol, and all we can talk is parsons and pittman. (where *is* steve case?) i think vivendi is loving this. while aol is trying to defend itself and their stock price, little 'ol vivendi is holding quiet meetings with analysts and going on an acquisitions spree. classic. i'm not trying to say that vivendi will outpace aol and become the leader ... but you know, the french are *really* good at finishing second.
The commensts below are from The New York Times DealBook ...
Signaling that negotiations may have ended successfully, Vivendi Universal has called a board meeting to approve an expensive deal to buy back its television assets from Barry Diller's USA Networks, The New York Post reported. Mr.Diller will not only personally pocket a bundle of cash, but also assume the vacant post of chairman and chief executive of Universal Studios in addition to overseeing his own transactional business, including Home Shopping Network and Ticketmaster.
Go to Article from The New York Post
Go to S.E.C. Filing
Jean-Marie Messier's designs on Barry Diller's USA Networks raise questions as well as answers, according to The Financial Times. Is it an opportunistic move on the part of a company in which he inherited a 43 percent stake (a part, indeed, once sold by Edgar Bronfman Jr., his departing vice-chairman)? Or is it the best U.S. content/distribution deal he can see from his lofty new perch on Manhattan's Park Avenue?
Go to Article from The Financial Times
Vivendi also agreed to buy about 10 percent of EchoStar Communications Corp. for $1.5 billion to expand into U.S. satellite television.
Go to Article from Bloomberg News
And Vivendi showed it was ready for more deals by raising $1.5 billion through the sale of a third of its stake in BSkyB, leaving it with a 15 percent share. The move bolsters a war chest that is likely to be used to expand Vivendi's television production business in the U.S.
Go to Article from The Guardian
Friday, December 14, 2001
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