Vivendi Universal Entertainment

Vivendi Universal Entertainment
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry
FoundedDecember 11, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-12-11)
Defunct11 May 2004; 21 years ago (2004-05-11)
FateMerged with NBC in 2004 to form NBC Universal
Headquarters100 Universal City Plaza,
Universal City, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Barry Diller
(COO)
Products
Brands
Services
RevenueDecrease US$5.02 billion (2003)
Number of employees
14,187 (2003)
ParentVivendi Universal
Divisions

Vivendi Universal Entertainment LLLP (VUE) was an American group, an 86% subsidiary of the French conglomerate Vivendi Universal, bringing together Vivendi Universal's film (Universal Pictures), television (USA Network, Sci-Fi, etc.), and theme park businesses, making it the world's second-largest communications and media company.[1][2]

Created in 2000 as a result of Vivendi purchasing both Seagram and Canal+, VUE was one of the divisions of Vivendi Universal, a global group active in many areas such as music with Universal Music Group, film with Universal Pictures and StudioCanal, telecommunications with Cegetel and SFR, and publishing with Vivendi Universal Publishing (literature, textbooks, press, video games; now Editis).[3]

In 2002, with the acquisition of USA Networks, Vivendi Universal Entertainment's headquarters moved from Paris to 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California.[2]

Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE) became NBCUniversal when Vivendi Universal sold 80% of its shares in the group to the now defunct General Electric (GE). Vivendi Universal retained 20% of NBCUniversal until 2011, when Comcast acquired 51% of the group. VUE was officially dissolved on November 14, 2011.[4]

History

2000: merger of Vivendi and Seagram

Vivendi Universal Entertainment is the result of the 2000 merger of Seagram's Universal activities (excluding music) and the Canal+ Group, which includes the Canal+ channel, Canalsatellite, and StudioCanal, contributed by Vivendi.

In 2002, Vivendi Universal acquired the entertainment activities of the American group InterActiveCorp (namely the USA Network and the Sci-Fi channel) and integrated them into Vivendi Universal Entertainment and a new holding company named “Vivendi Universal Entertainment LLLP” domiciled in the United States.[3]

On May 30, 2003, Vivendi Universal Entertainment sold Spencer Gifts, a chain of gift and novelty stores located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, to American investment funds Gordon Brothers Group and Palladin Capital Group for approximately $100 million.[4]

2004: NBCUniversal merger

In May 2004, Vivendi Universal sold Vivendi Universal Entertainment (except for Canal+) to General Electric, owner of the NBC broadcasting group, which integrated it into the new NBCUniversal media group in exchange for a 20% stake. Vivendi Universal retained Universal Music Group.[5]

Sale of remaining residual interest (2011)

Vivendi Universal's stake was finally sold to General Electric in two stages at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. This group then sold 51% of NBCUniversal to Comcast, which integrated its own television channels into the company.[6]

Organization

In 2004, Vivendi Universal Entertainment consisted of:

Only the Canal+ channel is staying out of the merger, since a rule says that no industrial group can own more than 49% of the capital of a French TV channel.

References

  1. ^ "Vivendi Universal s'offre un accès direct aux foyers américains". L'Express (in French). 2001-12-16. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  2. ^ a b Vivendi Universal S.A. (2003). "Document de référence 2003" (pdf). bnains.org (in French). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b Vivendi Universal (7 May 2003). "2002 Document de référence" (PDF). zonebourse.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b Division of Corporations. "Vivendi Universal Entertainment LLLP (LTD.)". sunbiz.org. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  5. ^ "Vivendi et General Electric lancent NBC Universal, nouveau géant américain des médias" (in French). 2004-05-13. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  6. ^ "Vivendi Sells Stake in NBC Universal for $2B - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivendi_Universal_Entertainment