SFR acquisition will boost Vivendi, says Lévy

The acquisition of 100% control of telecom operator SFR will bring Vivendi some €2 billion in supplementary profits in four years, according to chief executive Jean-Bernard Lévy, interviewed at the end of last week by Le Figaro newspaper.

Lévy said that Vivendi had not reopened talks with Lagardère over the possible purchase of its stake in Canal Plus France, following the latter’s interruption of its proposed IPO of the 20% stake. Lévy also said that Vivendi did not intend to become a “dumb pipe” provider, but to be an actor in all parts of the digital content and delivery chain. He pointed out that Vivendi was well-placed to deliver content to the digital consumer via World of Warcraft in the case of video games, Vevo in digital music and Canalsat in TV.