Societal Indicators
Vivendi’s Four “Core” Issues Relating to Human Rights
INVESTMENTS BY CANAL+ AFRIQUE IN LOCAL
AFRICAN CONTENT (EXCLUDING SPORTS RIGHTS)
GRI
UNGC OECD Scope covered
DMA HR MSS Cultural
Rights aspect, MSS M3
1, 2
II, IV Canal+ Group
2015
2014
GC+
€5.5 million
€3 million
A committed player and major investor in the African film industry,
Canal+ Afrique contributes to the influence and development of the
seventh art on the African continent. The group supports numerous
African cinematographic productions: since 2005, more than 50 films
have been co-produced or pre-purchased. The channel broadcasts twelve
African films every year. In 2015, Canal+ Afrique supported, among
other African films:
Dhalinyaro
by Lula Ali Ismail (Djibouti) and
Wallaye!
by Bernie Goldblat (Burkina Faso). In addition, Canal+ Afrique has
contributed to the development of African cinema by supporting major
festivals like the FESPACO for the last several years. Of the awards given
at the 24
th
edition of the festival, Canal+ Afrique awarded seven prizes in
the categories of “Documentary”, “African film school” and “TV Series”.
A+, the African channel based in Abidjan and broadcast in more
than 20 French-speaking countries in West and Central Africa, has
confirmed its determination to develop African talent and committed
to 23 productions, co-productions and innovative pre-purchases in 2015
in almost every country in which the group is present. These programs
include 13 original series and French-speaking fictions, four talent shows
or reality TV shows, four magazines, and two live event formats (including
“Conakry, the great concert to fight Ebola”). For the
Le Parlement du rire
program in particular, Canal+ Afrique launched the production of twenty
30-minute shows that will highlight 26 comedians from 12 different
countries. In addition to the programs, which will be broadcast in 2016
on Canal+ Afrique and A+ in France and in the overseas departments
and territories, a tour is planned in Abidjan in October. A+ also offers
its subscribers a number of dubbed series produced in other African
languages (including in Senegal, Ghana, Angola and South Africa).
4.1.1.2. Musical Diversity
Cultural diversity sits at the heart of Universal Music Group’s business;
UMG offers an extensive catalog covering every musical genre. UMG’s
growth is based both on developing its roster of international artists and
on spotting and promoting local talent, whether the artists are young
and upcoming or best-selling acts. UMG maintains its leadership position
in its different national markets. In 2015, UMG signed local artists in
59 countries, with albums recorded in 44 languages and released in
120 countries.
◆
Investing in creation and local talent
PERCENTAGE OF SALES ACCOUNTED FOR
BY LOCAL REPERTOIRES IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES
GRI
UNGC OECD Scope covered
DMA HR MSS Cultural
Rights aspect, MSS M3
1, 2
II, IV UMG (59 countries)
2015
2014
UMG
65%
60%
In 2015, young UMG artists once again received numerous awards.
At Victoires de la musique, the singer Indila’s first album
Mini World
received the award “Victoire de l’album révélation de l’année”, while
Benjamin Clementine, a 27-year-old composer and performer originally
from Ghana, received the award “Révélation scène”.
At the Gramophone Awards ceremony in September 2015, UMG received
distinctions again: notably, Deutsche Grammophon won the coveted
Recording of the Year award for Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9,
recorded by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Italian conductor
Claudio Abbado. At the 57
th
Grammy Awards for classical music,
American violinist Hilary Hahn, signed with Deutsche Grammophon, won
the third Grammy of her career for her album
In 27 Pieces - The Hilary
Hahn Encores
, named Best Chamber Music Album of the Year.
In addition, UMG continues to sign young talent around the world,
including those making their debuts on the different national versions
of
The Voice
, which now has 60 local productions and has extended the
scope of its broadcasting to 180 countries. Twelve young artists from
The Voice Kids
and 45 artists discovered on
The Voice
have signed with
a UMG label.
New artists and musicians were also discovered by UMG in 2015 through
Spinnup. This platform allows musicians and artists who have not signed
with a record label to put their compositions online for subsequent
distribution by all the major global digital retailers. At the same time,
they are offered assistance in developing their careers. This assistance
consists of tutorials (training in marketing, social media, tour booking)
and advice provided by a dedicated team of talent scouts — who also
browse the platform in search of new talent. Since the platform was
created in 2013, 15 artists have signed with a UMG label, including Albin,
Vigiland and Alfons, whose albums have already reached multi-platinum
sales in Scandinavia.
Finally, Digitick and Infoconcert, subsidiaries of Vivendi Village, also
provide support to young artists and to various local festivals. In 2015
their teams launched the editorial mechanism Digilove which offers
visitors a chance to discover a selection of young musical talents (
Jeune
scène française, La scène féminine
) showcased on their respective
media. With 20,000 events, Digitick has a diversified offer, representing
more than ten musical genres and six major categories of live shows
(concerts, festivals, theatre, humor, dance and circus).
EXTRA-FINANCIAL INDICATORS HANDBOOK
2015
26