Vivendi Launches Hostile Takeover For Videogame Firm
February 19 2016 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
(FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 2/19/16)
By Nick Kostov
PARIS -- Vivendi SA Thursday said it was launching a hostile
takeover of Gameloft SE, pushing further into videogames after
re-entering the sector last year.
The French media group said its supervisory board approved a
tender offer for the shares of Gameloft at 6 euros a share ($6.67),
valuing the company at 513 million euros. Gameloft has been trying
to fend off Vivendi's advances since it started building up its
more than 30% stake in the videogame company late last year.
"Videogames constitute content in their own right and now
represent a significant part of the entertainment and media market,
and mobile gaming is the segment expected to record the fastest
growth," Vivendi said in a statement.
The takeover is the latest chapter in a continuing battle
between Vivendi and two Paris-based videogame companies. Since
October, Vivendi has been steadily buying shares in Ubisoft
Entertainment SA, known for franchises like Assassin's Creed, and
Gameloft, a smaller company with successes in making games for
mobile phones. But the founding Guillemot family, which still owns
stakes in both videogame companies, argues that Vivendi doesn't
know the business.
On Thursday, Ubisoft, in which Vivendi has built up a 15% stake,
unveiled a three-year growth plan in an attempt to remain
independent. Ubisoft has been rallying investors in recent weeks to
its stand-alone strategy, saying there are no synergies with
Vivendi and a takeover would be bad for the company.
Ubisoft Chief Financial Officer Alain Martinez said on a call
with reporters that there were no clear answers on what benefits
Vivendi could bring to his company.
Vivendi, controlled by Chairman Vincent Bollore, has recently
taken minority stakes in a number of companies as it looks to put a
6.4 billion euros cash pile to work. Investments include a more
than 20% stake in Telecom Italia SpA as the company looks to build
a media empire with a focus on Southern Europe.
Key to Vivendi's long-term plans is Canal Plus, the group's
struggling pay-TV unit that accounts for almost half of the group's
sales. On Thursday, Vivendi said Canal Plus was in talks to become
the exclusive distributor of beIN Sports in France, its arch rival
in sports content.
For Canal Plus, the agreement will allow it to replenish a
dwindling library of exclusive sports rights.
The Qatari-owned beIN Sports entered the French market in 2012,
spending millions of euros on sports rights including the UEFA
Champions League and the soccer World Cup. It quickly built up a
base of some 2.5 million subscribers, becoming a formidable
competitor to Canal Plus.
"We have one major challenge to address today: our pay TV
operations in France," said Vivendi CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine on a
call with analysts. "There is an urgent need to stop losses and to
commit to a transformation plan."
Vivendi, which also owns Universal Music Group, Thursday
reported profit, excluding some items, of 196 million euros for the
fourth quarter on sales of 3.1 billion euros. Analysts had
predicted adjusted net income of 168 million euros.
Vivendi said its turnaround plan for Canal Plus France could
lead to a "significant decline" in the unit's operating results in
2016, but the aim was to hit a break even point in 2018.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 19, 2016 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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