Vivendi May Swap SFR for Vodafone's Vizzavi Stake, Paper Says
By Molly Schuetz
Paris, May 16 (Bloomberg) -- Vivendi Universal SA, Europe's largest media company, is mulling whether to keep its stake in SFR, France's second-biggest wireless phone company, as it focuses more on content, Le Figaro said, without citing sources.
The most logical candidate to buy SFR, which is controlled by Cegetel SA, France's second-biggest phone company, is Vodafone Group Plc, the largest mobile phone company, the newspaper said. Vivendi controls Cegetel, which owns 80 percent of SFR. Vodafone owns the other 20 percent.
In exchange, Vodafone would cede its 50 percent stake in Vizzavi, the Internet access portal, to Vivendi which already owns the other half of the joint venture, the paper said.
Vivendi has promoted Vizzavi as a conduit for some 90 million mobile phone and television subscribers to access music and movies owned by Vivendi Universal.
Jon Earl, a spokesman for Vodafone, and Alain Delrieu, a Vivendi spokesman, both declined to comment on the report. |
