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• Vivendi raises 1.4 bln dlrs via bond issue

  - 2008-04-02

  PARIS AFP — French media and telecommunications group Vivendi said on Wednesday it had raised 1.4 billion dollars (900 million euros) via an issue of five- and 10-year bonds. It said the bonds were sold to qualified institutional buyers, with proceeds to be used to finance its planned acquisitions...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, bond, FINANCE, Investment, Vivendi Universal

• French judges put Warner Music CEO under formal investigation

  - 2008-02-07

  PARIS AFP — French judges have placed the head of Warner Music, Edgar Bronfman Jr, under formal investigation as part of a probe into French media giant Vivendi Universal, legal sources told AFP on Thursday. Bronfman, who was once a director of Vivendi and who sold shares in the...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, FINANCE, MARKETING, NETWORKING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Telephony, Vivendi Universal, Warner Music Group Corp.

• Probe slams Vivendi's aggressive accounting: newspaper

  - 2008-01-01

  PARIS AFP — Prosecutors have been given a report by financial investigators which sharply criticises Vivendi Universal's accounting practices under former CEO Jean-Marie Messiere, La Tribune reported on Wednesday. The report denounces "aggressive" bookkeeping involving "sophisticated legal and financial engineering," the financial daily said. The report has been...

  Tags: accounting, Agence France-Presse, FINANCE, financial, prosecutor, Vivendi Universal

• Vivendi reports 7.4 percent jump in second quarter sales

  - 2007-07-25

  PARIS AFP — The French telecommunications and media giant Vivendi on Wednesday reported a 7.4 percent rise in second quarter sales to 5.203 billion euros (7.1 billion dollars) compared with the same period last year. The performance eclipsed market expectations, with analysts foreseeing sales in a range of 5.093...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, SALES, Vivendi Universal

• Vivendi posts 2.61 billion euro annual net profit

  - 2007-03-07

  PARIS AFP — French media and telecommunications giant Vivendi on Wednesday reported full-year adjusted net profit of 2.61 billion euros (3.43 billion dollars), up 17.9 percent from a year earlier. The 2006 result exceeded guidance and a consensus forecast of 2.58 billion euros, amid strong gains in its main...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, MARKETING, Vivendi Universal

• Bertelsmann agrees to sell BMG Music Publishing to Vivendi for 1.63 bln euros

  - 2006-09-06

  FRANKFURT AFP — German media giant Bertelsmann said it had agreed to sell its BMG Music Publishing arm to French group Vivendi for 1.63 billion euros two billion dollars. The deal has already been approved by the supervisory boards of both Bertelsmann and Vivendi, the German group said in a...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Bertelsmann AG, Bertelsmann Music Group, MARKETING, Vivendi Universal

• Vivendi rejects approach from Sebastian Holdings

  - 2006-05-17

  PARIS AFP — The French media and telecom group Vivendi says it has rejected an approach from its biggest shareholder Sebastian Holdings. Vivendi said that it considered the approach, in the form of "a request for cooperation" to be directed at "dismembering the group". The price of shares in...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, FINANCE, Investment, MARKETING, NETWORKING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Telephony, Vivendi Universal

• Vivendi Universal sales jump 12 percent in third quarter

  - 2005-11-03

  PARIS AFP — French media group Vivendi Universal reported a 12 percent jump in third quarter sales to 4.87 billion euros (5.8 billion dollars) with telecommunications unit SFR the stand-out performer in the group's portfolio of businesses. Vivendi, which also has television, music and video games activities, said that...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Paris, SALES, TV, Vivendi Universal

• Vivendi Universal reports tripling of quarterly profit

  - 2005-09-13

  PARIS AFP — French media group Vivendi Universal said its net earnings in the second quarter had more than tripled to 640 million euros (786 million dollars) from 182 million in the same period of 2004 and predicted it would surpass its income target for all of 2005. With...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, earnings, FINANCE, Vivendi Universal

• French firms to beam TV programmes to mobile phones

  - 2005-06-28

  PARIS AFP — French satellite television broadcaster Canalsat and mobile phone operator SFR are to launch on Wednesday the world's first service that will beam television programmes direct to mobile telephones, the two companies said. The channels will be available on so-called third generation or 3G services provided for...

  Tags: 3G, Agence France-Presse, MARKETING, mobile, phone, TVs, Vivendi Universal