Vivendi group: Holdings

Holdings

This listing is indicative only, illustrating the spead of corporate interests before dismantling of the empire gathered pace.

It thus does not provide a definitive inventory, instead highlighting film, music and other interests acquired through for example the Seagram takeover.

It covers -

• Film production and distribution interests
• Television and video production & distribution
• Cable and broadcast television
• Stakes in other media groups
• Interactive
• Music recording
• Music Publishing and Distribution
• Theme Parks
• Merchandising
• Cinemas
• Newspaper and magazine publishing
• Book publishing
• Telecommunications
• Urban services
• Sports

Film Production & Distribution

Film production and distribution interests included -

• Universal Studio
• Universal Pictures
• October Films (majority interest)
• Universal Studios Home Video
• United International Pictures (33%) - international distribution
• Cinema International BV (49%) - video distribution
• Interscope
• Propaganda
• Working Title
• Cinea (50%) France
• PolyGram DA
• Pan Europeenee Production (70%)
• Noe
• PolyGram Television
• Working Title Television
• Propaganda Television
• TedPoly (50%) - Hong Kong
• Meteor Films - Netherlands
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Australia
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Benelux
• Sogepaq (50%) - Spain
• PolyGram Film International
• PolyGram Television USA
• PolyGram Television International

The group had production or distribution agreements with the independent -

• Havoc Inc
• Island Pictures
• Egg Pictures
• Def Pictures
• Dirty Hand Productions
• The Jones Company

Television and video production & distribution

Program production and distribution interests included -

• Universal Television Group - production and distribution
• Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (50%) - production
• Multimedia Entertainment - Jerry Springer talk show
• PolyGram Films
• Gramercy
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment UK
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Canada
• PolyGram Film Distribution
• PolyGram Video
• Vision Video
• Abbey Home Entertainment
• PolyGram Video US/International

with a 50% stake (through UGC) in France's leading distributor UFD, a joint venture with Fox.

Cable and broadcast television

Broadcast and cable television interests included -

• USA Networks Inc - formerly Home Shopping Network headed by Barry Diller, former Fox Network czar
• Universal Pay Television - international distribution
• CANAL+ - French film/television production and broadcasting
• Telepiu - pay tv in Italy
• Echostar - US satellite tv (10%)

Stakes in other media groups

Vivendi had stakes in other media groups and channels, including -

• HBO Asia - controlled by AOL Time Warner
• Telecine (Brazil)
• Cinecanal (Latin America)
• Showtime (Australia)
• Star Channel (Japan)
• Kirch Group - German film and television production, broadcasting and publishing (now defunct)
• RTL7 (Poland) - RTL subsidiary
• Sogecable (Spain)
• VIVA (20%)
• MTV Asia (50%) - with Viacom
• Atomic TV (40%) - Poland
• Sundance Channel (10% USA and 75% International)
• Really Useful Holdings (30%) - Andrew Lloyd Webber theatrical productions and copyrights

Interactive

• Universal Studios Online
• Universal.com
• Universal Interactive Studios - software and video games
• Universal Digital Arts
• Interplay - video game producer
• GetMusic - online music retailer

Music recording

Recording interests included the following labels -

• MCA Records
• MCA Records Nashville
• Decca Records
• GRP Recording Company
• Geffen/DGC Records
• Universal Records
• Rising Tide
• Interscope Records
• Hip-O Records
• A&M
• Decca
• Def Jam
• Deutsche Grammophon
• Island
• London
• Mercury
• Motown
• Phillips Classics
• Polydor
• Verve

The group had manufacturing facilities in Amersfoot (Netherlands), Blackburn (UK), Hannover (Germany), Kings Mountain (USA) and Louviers (France)

Music Publishing and Distribution

Publishing and promotion interests included -

• PolyGram Music Publishing
• Island Music
• Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing (50%)
• Universal Music & Video Distribution
• Universal Music International
• MCA Music Publishing
• Interscope Music Publishing
• All Nations Catalog
• Universal Concerts (concert promotion)

Theme Parks

• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Universal Studios Florida (joint venture with UK Rank Group)
• Universal's Islands of Adventure
• Universal Studios Japan
• Sega Game Works (partial ownership - local entertainment centers)

Merchandising

• Spencer Gifts chain
• PolyGram Merchandising (80%)
• Britannia (UK) - direct marketing
• DIAL (France) - direct marketing

Cinemas

• Cineplex Odeon Corporation (42%) - cinemas in US and Canada
• Cinema International Corporation (49%) - cinemas
• United Cinemas International (49%) - cinemas in partnership with Viacom
• UGC (55%) - 850 screens in six EU countries

Newspaper and magazine publishing

Newspapers and magazines (sold to Hachette and Hersant's Socpresse) included -

• Courrier International
• L'Etudiant
• Bonjour
• Le Moniteur
• L'Usine Nouvelle
• La France Agricole
• Le Quotidien du Medecin Jano
• Medical Progress

Book publishing

Book publishing interests in France, the US, the UK, Spain and Latin America (sold to Hachette and Wendel Investissement) included -

• Dalloz
• Dunod
• Larousse
• Le Robert
• Harrap
• Chambers
• Kingfisher
• Laffont
• Plon
• Presses de la Cite
• Belfond
• Bordas
• Houghton Mifflin

Telecommunications

• Cegetel (70%)

Urban services

• Vivendi Environnement SA (5.3%) - urban services and development

Sports

• Paris St Germain soccer club