Vivendi expects sales to rise 9.5% to 10.5 billion euros ($11.4 billion) in 2023, driven by the results of Canal+ Group and Havas, as well as the integration of French media and publishing giant Lagardère in December It was a prospect. Vivendi also recorded a net profit of $443 million (405 million euros).
The Canal+ Group, comprised of pay-TV giant Canal+ and production and distribution company Studiocanal (Paddington), is expanding internationally, particularly in Asia, the Nordic countries and Africa. Canal + Group has just increased his stake in major Chinese streamer Viu to his 30% stake, and also owns a 30% stake in South African streamer MultiChoice and a 29.33% stake in his Viaplay in Scandinavia. Vivendi said it would make a mandatory offer to MultiChoice by April 8.
Canal+ also increased its subscriber base to 900,000 new subscribers in France and abroad in 2023. The group currently boasts 26.4 million subscribers in around 50 countries. In mainland France, Canal+ also recorded a net increase of 290,000 subscribers over the past 12 months, reaching 9.8 million subscribers. Once the theatrical situation largely recovered from the pandemic in 2023, Studiocanal flourished thanks to the success of its French releases, including “Alibi.com,” which had more than 4 million admissions. “All Your Faces,” which was nominated for a Cesar Award, sold more than 1.2 million tickets. and “Animal Kingdom,” a critically acclaimed film that won five Cesar Awards and attracted 1.1 million admissions.
Meanwhile, Lagardère saw sales increase by 16.6% in 2023, thanks to its travel retail and publishing activities. Vivendi expects to complete its acquisition of Lagardère in the second half of 2023, following the sale of publishing group Editis and Prisma Group’s flagship title Gala Magazine to address antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission. Ta.
Yannick Bollore, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Vivendi, said that the acquisition of Lagardere will make the company the third largest publishing group in the world, number one in France and second in the UK, and a world leader in travel retail. I was able to do that.”
According to Vivendi’s chairman, the merger of Vivendi and Lagardère will result in estimated sales of €18 billion in 2023 (€16.5 billion in 2022) and a combined workforce of nearly 73,000 people, including those from the Lagardère group. It is said that there will be 36,000 people. Havas, the advertising company owned by Vivendi, also had a strong year in 2023, with partnerships in the technology sector, particularly AI.
Mr Bollore, who officially took over the reins of Vivendi from his father Vincent in 2022, will implement the company’s plan to split the French conglomerate into three businesses: pay-TV group Canal+, advertising banner Havas and an investment vehicle. He said the possibility is still being researched. Lagardère Group. Each will be listed separately on the Paris Stock Exchange. If approved, the separation of the French company is expected to take 12 to 18 months, Vivendi said.
“If implemented, this project will create value for all stakeholders of the Group, with the necessary human resources and financial agility, and in an international context characterized by numerous investment opportunities. It will enable the creation of an independent, pure-play player that can drive its own growth trajectory,” Bolloré continued.
The idea behind splitting Vivendi into separate businesses is to allow Bolloré and Vivendi shareholders to seek higher valuations for Canal+ and Havas and better leverage the growth of these assets.
