Bouygues and TF1: Landmarks
Landmarks
This chronology is indicative only.
Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline on this site.
1952 Francis Bouygues founds Entreprise Francis Bouygues
1956 launches upmarket property development arm with Société Technique Immobilière (STIM)
1959 establishes subsidiary for industrial concrete precasting
1959 restructures group as Entreprise Francis Bouygues (or EFB)
1963 founds property development financier Union Immobilière d’Investissement et de Participation (UNIVEST)
1965 expands into civil engineering (eg acquisition of Quille) and public works activities
1970 Bouygues floated on Paris stock exchange, family retains 26% stake
1970 buys Groupement Français de Construction (GFC)
1972 launches international operations with Tehran olympic complex
1974 founds Bouygues Offshore, specialising in oil and gas contracting (transferred to Saipem in 2002)
1978 launches 'Maison Bouygues' catalogue homes arm (sold in 1990)
1980 fails in bid to take control of offshore engineer Doris
1981 fails to gain dominant shareholding in Lyonnaise des Eaux et de l'Eclairage
1982 fails to gain control of Drouot group, second largest French private insurer
1983 acquires HDR (Henningson, Durham and Richardson) group in US
1984 acquires Société d’Amenagement Urbain et Rural (Saur), France's third largest water supply company
1984 gains control of Amrep
1984 failed takeover bid for Framatome
1984 acquires power transmission and supply specialist Entreprise de Travaux d’Equipement Electrique (ETDE)
1985 builds stake in leading competitor Spie Batignolles
1985 takes stake in commercial radio station IDF
1985 Bouygues Loisirs and Havas found Latitudes joint venture
1986 acquires SCREG group (Colas, SCREG Routes and Sacer), France's leading roadworks contractor
1986 sells Spie Batignolles stake
1986 acquires Dragages and Smac Acieroïd (waterproofing)
1987 becomes main stockholder (25%) and operator of French television channel TF1 in US$900m privatisation, with support from Crédit Lyonnais, Indosuez, Société Générale and Robert Maxwell
1987 acquires flour milling and frozen food group Grands Moulins de Paris (GMP)
1987 ETDE buys Compagnie du Midi de Siemephone
1987 joins with Lagardère's Matra, Ericsson and Indosuez in takeover of Compagnie Générale de Constructions Téléphoniques (CGCT)
1988 TF1 launches music publishing subsidiary Une Musique
1989 TF1 launches film production and video editing company TF1 Films Production
1990 Bouygues acquires Losinger, Switzerland's third-ranking construction group, whose subsidiary VSL is world leader in post-tensioning
1990 Francis Bouygues founds feature film production company Ciby 2000
1991 TF1 takes over thematic channel Eurosport
1992 Bouygues sells HDR to MBO
1993 Bouygues acquires South African construction group Basil Read
1993 establishes national paging network under ERMES standard,
1994 merger of Stim and Batir
1994 Bouygues raises stake in TF1 to 34%
1994 TF1 launches LCI (La Chaîne Info) news channel
1994 Bouygues gains licence to operate France's 3rd mobile phone network
1995 Bouygues Offshore and Saipem form Saibos joint venture (turnkey construction and installation of platforms and subsea pipelines)
1995 TF1 acquires 60% of entertainment producer Glem Productions
1996 TF1 takes 36.6% stake in film production company Film par Film
1996 launch of TPS (Télévision par Satellite) in partnership with France Télévision, France Télécom, CLT, M6 and Lyonnaise des Eaux
1996 commercial launch of Bouygues Telecom
1996 Colas acquires Scregs
1996 40% of Bouygues Offshore floated on Paris Bourse and NYSE
1996 Saur merges with Saint-Gobain's Cise
1997 Vincent Bolloré acquires 12.5% stake in Bouygues, challenging founding family's control
1998 Bouygues sells Grands Moulins de Paris
1998 Bolloré sells Bouygues stake to François Pinault for US$210m profit
1998 agreement between SCDM (Martin Bouygues and Olivier Bouygues) and Artémis
1998 Ciby 2000 ceases film production
1999 reorganization of Saur's capital
1999 Ciby 2000 catalogue sold
1999 creation of Bouygues Construction as spin-off of construction arm
1999 Bouygues raises stake in Bouygues Telecom
2000 Bouygues increases stake in Colas to 96.5%
2001 TF1 acquires 50% of Série Club
2001 Eurosport becomes wholly owned subsidiary of TF1, with purchase of Canal + and Havas interests
2001 TF1 acquires France Telecom and France Television 25% stake in French digital television platform TPS
2002 Bouygues acquires Telecom Italia's stake in Bouygues Telecom
2002 Bouygues Construction transfers majority ownership in Bouygues Offshore to Saipem
2002 TF1 acquires Suez 16% stake in TPS
2003 Bouygues acquires E.ON's stake in Bouygues Telecom
2003 TF1 acquires 34.3% stake in Publications Metro France, publisher of free daily newspaper Metro
2004 TF1 acquires 100% of Histoire, history theme channel
2004 Bouygues sells stake in Saur to PAI partners
2004 Bouygues and TF1 fail to acquire stake in Socpresse
2005 TF1, M6 and Vivendi Universal announce agreement aimed at bringing together pay-TV operations of Canal+ group and TPS in France
2006 Bouygues acquires French state's 21% stake in ALSTOM