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	Vivendi Universal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Vivendi Universal (VU) is a French company active in media and communications with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications and the Internet.
		Vivendi Universal was created in December of 2000 with the massive merger of the Vivendi media empire with Canal+ television networks and the Canadian company Seagram, the owner of Universal Studios film company.
		VU reduced its stake in Vivendi Environnement to 40% and sold its stake in Vinci Construction.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Vivendi_Universal (595 words)

	TheStreet.com: The High Stakes of a Possible Vivendi-Seagram Merger
		Vivendi is already a highly leveraged company with net debt of around 18.5 billion euros.
		Last week, Vivendi issued a convertible bond backed by part of its BSkyB stake to fund the purchase of a third-generation mobile-phone license in France, which along with the cost of infrastructure, could total up to 10 billion euros, according to some analyst estimates.
		One of the few criticisms of the executive is that even as he has had the foresight to focus Vivendi on emerging areas of growth, he is reticent to let go of older businesses that are less relevant.
	www.thestreet.com /_aol/int/euromarkets/961332.html (1012 words)

	SEC Settles Civil Fraud Action Against Vivendi, Former Execs
		Vivendi and its senior officers participated in a year and a half long effort to avoid acknowledging the company's liquidity problems and to meet EBITDA targets, and deprived shareholders of accurate information.
		Vivendi is a media and environmental services conglomerate based in Paris, France.
		Vivendi and the other defendants failed timely to disclose all of the material facts about Vivendi's investment in a fund that purchased a 2% stake in Elektrim Telekomunikacja Sp.
	www.sec.gov /news/press/2003-184.htm (1044 words)

	Wired News: Vivendi Votes Hacked? Ha: Experts
		Vivendi, whose controversial chief executive Jean-Marie Messier has come under fire from investors in recent weeks, issued a statement on Sunday alleging hackers may have tampered with a vote last week that would have granted a new stock option plan for company executives.
		Vivendi was expected to issue an open-ended writ against unknown persons on Monday -- a French legal procedure used to force an investigation to be opened before a suspect has been identified.
		Vivendi's board met on Monday and was expected to call a new shareholder meeting in June to put all last Wednesday's resolutions to the vote once again.
	www.wired.com /news/business/0,1367,52162,00.html (829 words)

	CNN.com - Vivendi dives after accounts raid - July 10, 2002
		Vivendi's stock, which has fallen more than 70 percent this year amid concerns about its debt, dived 6.6 percent to 17.10 euros as markets opened on Wednesday.
		Vivendi (PEX), home to Hollywood's Universal Studios and a global music empire, is now under new management which is considering various options to sell assets and financing deals.
		Vivendi said on Tuesday it had agreed a 1 billion euro credit facility and was working with its banks on addressing its longer term refinancing needs.
	archives.cnn.com /2002/BUSINESS/07/10/vivendi.probe (464 words)

	USATODAY.com - Vivendi, Messier fined $1.35M (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Messier, Vivendi's former chief executive and chairman, was forced out in 2002 after an acquisition spree that took the company close to bankruptcy and racked up 35 billion euros ($47 billion) in debt.
		When Vivendi was 3.4 billion euros ($4.6 billion) in debt in October 2000, the ruling said, Messier "artificially reduced" the figure he reported to 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion) by subtracting expected proceeds of a sell-off that took place 14 months later.
		Vivendi declined to comment on the ruling but confirmed in a separate announcement that chairman and CEO Jean-Rene Fourtou is to quit his executive role next year to head a new supervisory board, subject to shareholder approval, with chief operating officer Jean-Bernard Levy taking over as chief executive.
	www.usatoday.com /money/media/2004-12-07-vivendi_x.htm?csp=36 (424 words)

	Vivendi treads choppy waters online \| CNET News.com
		But the head of Vivendi Universal's online unit in the United States says the company is not turning its back on the Web, flatly denying a published report that said the company is considering shutting down its cash-draining Vizzavi Web portal amid a general retreat in its online operations.
		Problems at Vivendi recall the second-guessing surrounding America Online's purchase of Time Warner last year, a deal that for many has crystallized the warped reality of the dot-com bubble and the hype machine that drove it to unsustainable heights.
		Vivendi's reversal of fortune stems partly from broader market conditions that have sent several media companies back to the drawing board with their Internet plans.
	news.com.com /2100-1023-899834.html (1650 words)

	Vivendi Universal group: Overview (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Paris-based conglomerate Vivendi Universal, began as a French civil engineering enterprise, grew to absorb the Universal entertainment conglomerate in the US and then sold or spun off most of its media acquisitions after after investors lost patience over rising debts.
		Vivendi hoped that its Vizzavi subsidiary will be the default portal for 80 million mobile and interactive TV subscribers of Canal+ and Vivendi’s 50-50 joint venture with Vodafone.
		Vivendi disposed of most book publishing interests to Lagardere's Hachette, with anti-trust action by the European Commission forcing Lagardere to on-sell around 60% of the interests (badged as Editis) to Wendel Investissement.
	www.ketupa.net /vivendi.htm (1582 words)

	CNN.com - Vivendi offices in Paris raided - Dec. 13, 2002
		Vivendi confirmed in November that it was under investigation by French regulators over its financial accounts, and that it was the subject of two new probes in the United States.
		Vivendi (PEX) shares, which initially fell on reports of the raid, were up 0.3 percent to 16.23 euros in earlier afternoon trading in Paris on Thursday.
		Vivendi since raised 1.9 billion euros through the sales of half of its 40.8 percent stake in water and waste utility Vivendi Environnement to French state power firm EdF and a group of banks.
	edition.cnn.com /2002/BUSINESS/12/12/vivendi.raids (623 words)

	Vivendi settles on NBC for U.S. assets - Sep. 2, 2003
		Vivendi, the world's second-biggest media company, said after a board meeting that General Electric would own 80 percent of the merged company and Vivendi would own 20 percent while holding three seats on the combined company's board.
		Vivendi added that it does not anticipate that European regulators will object to the NBC offer and it expects the merger to be completed by the end of the month.
		Vivendi's decision brings an end to a long summer of negotiations that gripped the media industry and ran up huge bills for an army of advisers as some of Hollywood's biggest egos jostled for the firm's assets.
	money.cnn.com /2003/09/02/news/international/vivendi_bidder (610 words)

	Boston.com / Business / Vivendi mulling entertainment asset bids (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Vivendi wants to sell its Universal film and TV studios, cable channels and Universal theme parks in a package to one of at least three bidders, officials at the Paris-based company have said.
		Sources close to the company said last week that Vivendi was set to decide between the offers from General Electric Co.'s NBC unit, an investor group headed by former Seagram Co. chief executive Edgar Bronfman and cable mogul John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. But Liberty announced late Monday that it was withdrawing from the bidding.
		Vivendi has been trying to sell assets to pay off huge debt, estimated at the end of last month at more than $13 billion.
	www.boston.com /business/articles/2003/08/25/vivendi_mulling_entertainment_asset_bids (599 words)

	Vivendi Says Cash Crunch Is History
		While Vivendi is by no means exiting the media business, the selloff will reverse much of the expansion shepherded by Messier, whose judgment Fourtou criticized Wednesday and from whom Fourtou said Vivendi was trying to retrieve money paid this summer.
		Vivendi says it is cutting corporate staff in New York and Paris, and is selling or closing money-losing operations such as its Canal+ television operations outside of France.
		Vivendi hasn't decided, says Fourtou, whether it will sell its 40% stake in the French telecom operator Cegetel, or whether it will increase its stake to gain majority ownership and thus access to Cegetel's free cash flow.
	www.thestreet.com /tech/georgemannes/10044303.html (662 words)

	USATODAY.com - Former Vivendi chief in French custody (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		PARIS —; The former chief executive of Vivendi Universal, Jean-Marie Messier, was taken into police custody Monday in an investigation into financial wrongdoing during his time at the telecommunications giant, police said.
		Messier, in charge of Vivendi at the time of the trades, has said he acted within the bounds of the law and in the interest of shareholders.
		Vivendi asked Deutsche Bank to proceed, saying it considered the purchases legitimate, according to the newspaper, but Deutsche eventually decided to stop carrying out Vivendi's orders.
	www.usatoday.com /money/industries/telecom/2004-06-21-vivendi_x.htm (620 words)

	Vivendi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Vivendi Environnement, the name, between 2000 and 2003, of Veolia Environnement, the former water and waste division of Vivendi
		Vivendi Water, the name, between 2000 and 2003, of Veolia Water, part of Veolia Environnement
		Vivendi Universal, the media company, created in 2000 out of Vivendi
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Vivendi (158 words)

	Modulator: Vivendi, Why?
		Vivendi owns the MP3.com archives so they can destroy them if they want.
		If there is not then there is no imaginable reason why they would not allow archive.org to capture this treasure trove of music, ranging from good to more then terrible.
		I think musicians, writers, producers, etc., should be hving second thoughts about including Vivendi in their plans.
	themodulator.org /archives/000699.html (113 words)

	SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Diller resigns as Vivendi Universal Entertainment head
		Vivendi Universal is trying to reduce a $13.5 billion debt left from its acquisition of companies since it was created in 2001 when Vivendi, a French utility, bought Universal from Seagrams.
		Vivendi also is holding talks with Viacom, MGM and other buyers interested in acquiring all or parts of its entertainment companies.
		Vivendi and former CEO Jean-Marie Messier are the subjects of an investigation by French market regulators and Paris magistrates.
	www.signonsandiego.com /news/business/20030319-1230-dillerresigns.html (667 words)

	Complaint: Vivendi Universal, S.A., Jean-Marie Messier, and Guillaume Hannezo
		Vivendi operates on a calendar fiscal year and is required to file annual reports with the Commission on Form 20-F. Defendant Jean-Marie Messier, age 47, was CEO of Vivendi and its predecessor companies from 1994 until July 2, 2002.
		Vivendi touted these results and noted that UMG was able to show growth at a time when its major competitors in the music industry had seen a decrease in earnings.
		Vivendi's statements and omissions concerning Telco in its Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 created the false and misleading impression that Vivendi maintained no more than a 49% financial interest in Telco, whether directly or indirectly, even though it had invested in a fund that purchased a 2% stake in Telco.
	www.sec.gov /litigation/complaints/comp18523.htm (6208 words)

	Vivendi to buy Seagram, deal creates world's No. 2 media company - Jun. 20, 2000
		Vivendi said it began negotiations intending to pay $75 per Seagram share, but raised that to $77.35, for a total of $34 billion in stock.
		Vivendi also plans to swallow $6.6 billion in Seagram debt, which officials of the companies say will be repaid by the sale of liquor assets.
		Vivendi Chairman Jean-Marie Messier would not commit to giving Barry Diller, chairman of USA Networks Inc., one of the new company's two board seats set aside for non-Bronfman family members from the Seagram camp.
	www.cnnfn.com /2000/06/20/worldbiz/vivendi_deal (1553 words)

	New York Daily News - Business - Vivendi rejects 20B bid (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Vivendi rejected Davis' bid, but insiders said the former 20th Century Fox studio chief will come back to the table with a more tempting offer to entice cash-strapped Vivendi.
		Vivendi chairman Jean-Rene Fourtou tapped Diller to run the entertainment group with the goal of taking it public in the next four to six months.
		When Diller's company, USA Interactive, sold Vivendi its entertainment assets, it extracted an assurance from Vivendi that it would be paid $2 billion if the assets were sold to another party.
	www.nydailynews.com /11-22-2002/business/story/37432p-35328c.html (567 words)

	Business: Vivendi snubs unsolicited $15-billion bid
		Vivendi, the French parent of Universal Studios and Universal Music Group, has been shedding assets but said Thursday that its movie studio, record label, theme parks and other entertainment units were not for sale.
		Vivendi reportedly rejected the offer as too low and might be open to a higher bid or to selling some of the assets or spinning off the entertainment divisions and keeping a minority interest.
		If Vivendi sells any of the entertainment assets, it may have to pay Diller as much as $2-billion to cover taxes that would become due on the original deal.
	www.sptimes.com /2002/11/22/Business/Vivendi_snubs_unsolic.shtml (772 words)

	Oligopoly Watch (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Vivendi wants to sell almost all its media interests, especially those in the U.S. The company is planning on retaining perhaps only European Television network Canal Plus and its telecom interests.
		Vivendi Environement changed its name to Veolia Environement, presumably to wash away the taint of the Vivendi name.
		That contrasts with the $34 billion Vivendi paid for the Seagram's assets three years ago, minus $8 billion from the saie of the liquor assets.
	www.oligopolywatch.com /2003/05/23.html (668 words)

	Wired News: Vivendi Faces Uphill Battle (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		With this change, Vivendi will now be tackling its heavy debts, which were accumulated as Messier sought to transform the utilities firm into a media and entertainment behemoth to rival the likes of AOL Time Warner (AOL).
		If Vivendi's (V) new management decides to ditch the telecoms business, most analysts expect any deal with Vodafone (VOD) to hinge on Vivendi's 44-percent stake in Cegetel, the French fixed-line telecoms group that controls 80 percent of SFR.
		Vivendi (V) said at the time the deal would cut its debt pile by a much-needed $1.18 million.
	www.wired.com /news/business/0,1367,53655,00.html (901 words)

	Online NewsHour: Vivendi Reports $12.1 Billion Loss -- August 14, 2002
		Vivendi's board said it was planning sales of non-core assets like Houghton Mifflin to help forestall a cash crisis and pay off its massive debts.
		Vivendi's board also approved the sale of other assets, like the Italian digital TV platform Telepiu, the company's stake in Echostar satellite broadcasting and the Paris Saint-Germain football team.
		Vivendi's shares plunged 25 percent on the Paris bourse after news of its junk-bond status.
	www.pbs.org /newshour/media/media_watch/july-dec02/vivendi_8-14.html (506 words)

	PCWorld.com - Vivendi Universal to Buy MP3.com (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Vivendi says MP3.com's board of directors has already approved the deal and that MP3.com shareholders whose total holdings are more than 50 percent have already agreed to sign off on the transaction.
		Vivendi Universal cites MP3.com's technology, including patented technology for music distribution, as well as comprehensive data management and tracking systems, as a driving reason for the acquisition.
		Vivendi Universal did not comment on outstanding lawsuits against MP3.com, but one company source says it "has done extensive due diligence on the question of litigation.
	www.pcworld.com /news/article/0,aid,50564,00.asp (590 words)

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