Vivendi weighs NBC Uni IPO

Vivendi boss Jean-Bernard Levy has told press that the company is evaluating whether to float its stake in entertainment giant NBC Universal.

The French company owns a 20% share of NBCU and its position regarding a disposal of that is crucial to talks majority shareholder General Electric is holding with US cabler Comcast, which is keen to take a majority stake in the company.

“It was part of the thinking we had back in 2003 when we created NBC Universal that maybe when Vivendi would exit, one way. . . would be through a flotation on the stock market and maybe that is what will happen,” Levy told a London conference.

Vivendi will decide what to do with its stake before end-2009.