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Paris, February 17, 2006
Draft Agreement Lagardère - Vivendi Universal - Canal+ Group for
Lagardère to Acquire a 20% Stake, with the Option of Increasing Stake to 34%, in
Canal+ France
Lagardère, Vivendi Universal and Canal+ Group have announced a draft agreement
under which terms Lagardère would join Canal+ Group, TF1 and M6 in Canal+
France (1) in holding a stake of Canal+ France, combining all the French pay
-TV assets of Canal+ Group and TPS. Lagardère is already a partner of Canal+
Group through CanalSat.
By becoming the second largest shareholder of
Canal+ France, Lagardère would significantly strengthen its pay-TV presence in
France.
The new company would be
owned:
- 65% by Canal+ Group,
- 20% by Lagardère,
- 9.9% by TF1,
- 5.1% by M6.
Vivendi Universal
would have exclusive control of the new company through Canal+
Group.
Lagardère would acquire its 20% stake by transferring its 34%
shareholding in CanalSat and by buying additional shares in Canal+ France for an
amount of €525 million in cash. Lagardère would also have the benefit of a
call option covering a further 14% of the new company, exercisable 3 years after
the completion of the transaction. At that time, the exercise price of the
options would be equal to market value and a minimum amount of €1.05 billion
corresponding to a valuation of €7.5 billion for 100% of Canal+ France.
This draft agreement will be subject to consultation with labor
relations and employee representative committees concerned and to the Conseil
Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (the French Broadcasting Authority). It is also
subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities.
The objective is
that the new group, which will hold in particular 100% of CanalSat and TPS, is
put in place in the third quarter of 2006.
The new group will be a leader
in French broadcasting, able to take on competition from large foreign media
groups as well as cable and internet operators. It will reinvigorate and broaden
the French pay-TV market, offering consumers a more rich, diversified and
attractive product.
About Vivendi Universal : Vivendi Universal
is a worldwide leader in media and telecommunications with activities in music
(Universal Music Group), interactive games (Vivendi Universal Games), television
and film (Canal+ Group) and telecommunications (SFR and Maroc Telecom).Vivendi
Universal also holds 20% of NBC Universal, a world leader in media with
activities in film and television production, television channel distribution
and theme park operations.
About Lagardère SCA : Lagardère is
a market leader in the media sector (books, press, audiovisual, and
distribution/retailing of cultural products). Lagardère is listed on the Paris
Stock Exchange.
__________________ (1) Canal+ France (temporary name) would comprise all
the present assets of TPS and Canal+ Group in pay-TV: including 100% of
CanalSat, Canal+, TPS, Multithématiques, MediaOverseas, Sport+, Canal+ Active
and Kiosque. StudioCanal, Cyfra+, the advertising company, PSGandi>TELE
are not part of Canal+ France and continue to be held 100% by Canal+
Group.
Important Disclaimer : This press
release contains 'forward-looking statements' as that term is defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ
materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks
and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not
limited to, the risks that: Vivendi Universal, Lagardère, TF1 and M6 will not be
able to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, as well as the risks
described in the documents Vivendi Universal has filed with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission and with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers
(www.amf-france.org). Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of
documents filed by Vivendi Universal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission at www.sec.gov or directly from Vivendi Universal. Vivendi Universal
does not undertake, nor has any obligation, to provide, update or revise any
forward-looking statements.
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CONTACTS - VIVENDI UNIVERSAL |
CONTACTS - LAGARDERE |
MEDIA Paris Antoine Lefort +33 (0) 1 71 71 11
80 Agnès Vétillart +33 (0) 1 71 71 30 82 Alain Delrieu +33 (0) 1 71 71 10 86
New York Flavie Lemarchand-Wood +(1) 212.572.1118
INVESTOR
RELATIONS
Paris Daniel Scolan +33 (0) 1 71 71 32
91 Laurence Daniel +33 (0) 1 71 71 12 33 Edouard Lassalle + 33 (0) 1 71 71 30 45
New York Eileen McLaughlin +(1)
212.572.8961
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MEDIA Thierry Funck-Brentano +33 (0) 1 40 69 16 34 tfb@lagardere.fr Jean-Pierre Joulin
+33 (0) 1 40 69 18 03 jpjoulin@lagardere.fr Arnaud
Molinié +33 (0) 1 40 69 16 72 amolinie@lagardere.fr
INVESTOR
RELATIONS
Laurent Carozzi +33 (0) 1 40 69 18 02 lcarozzi@lagardere.fr |
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