Vivendi Getting Integrated

Possibly mindful of the criticism his company sometimes attracts for resembling a holding company rather than a truly integrated collection of companies, Vivendi chief exec Jean-Bernard Lévy is trying to get the various units to work better together.

It would certainly seem to make sense for an outfit that owns major stakes in Universal Music Group, Activision Blizzard and telecoms and cable television operators.

“Music and films are increasingly accessed over the Internet, so one of the most promising areas for partnerships is between Vivendi-owned Universal Music Group, its pay-TV unit Canal Plus and the company’s telecom businesses,” was an example that Lévy gave to Wall Street Journal.

In Brazil, for example, Vivendi’s telecom operator GVT has worked with Canal Plus and Universal Music to set up a pay-TV platform and a music service for its broadband Internet subscribers.