Vivendi Universal, operates as a media and telecommunications company. Its Media business includes Canal+ Group, Universal Music Group (UMG), and Vivendi Universal Games (VUG). Canal+ Group consists of two businesses, which include pay-TV channel Canal+; and production and distribution of films and television programs through StudioCanal, an European studio. UMG acquires, manufactures, markets and distributes recorded music. VUG develops, publishes, and distributes multiplatform interactive games. Its games portfolio of development studios and publishing labels includes Blizzard Entertainment, Radical Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, and Massive Entertainment. The company’s telecommunications business includes SFR Cegetel Group and Maroc Telecom. SFR Cegetel Group provides mobile and fixed-line telecommunication services in France. Maroc Telecom offers mobile telephony services.
Vivendi Universal
42 Avenue De Friedland
Paris, F-75008
Phone: 33 1 71 71 10 00
Fax: 33 1 71 71 11 79
French stock market regulator AMF has filed complaints against media giant Vivendi Universal, its boss and another top executive.
It believes the prospectus for a bond issue was unclear and that executives may have had privileged information.
AMF has begun proceedings against Vivendi, its chief executive Jean-Rene Fourtou and chief operating officer Jean-Bernard Levy
Vivendi Universal and its former chief executive Jean-Marie Messier have each been fined 1m euros ($1.3m; £690,000) by French regulators.
The fines come after a 15-month probe into allegations the media giant misled investors after a costly acquisition program went wrong
Jean-Marie Messier, former chief executive of French media giant Vivendi Universal, has been taken into custody.
Mr Messier is being questioned as part of an investigation into “financial misappropriation”, Paris police said.
The arrest follows a probe into Vivendi ex-finance chief Guillaume Hannezo launched earlier this month
French police have searched the offices of the country’s stock market regulator as part of a probe into an allegedly illegal shares buyback by Vivendi.
The French conglomerate is under investigation for illegally buying back its own stock in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in America.
It is claimed the company, which has previously faced fraud charges in the US, wanted to maintain its share price