BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Vivendi: Sale or IPO for its NBC/Universal stake?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/20/vivendi-sale-or-ipo-for-its-nbc-universal-stake/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/20/vivendi-sale-or-ipo-for-its-nbc-universal-stake/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/20/vivendi-sale-or-ipo-for-its-nbc-universal-stake/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The roots of Vivendi go back to the mid 1800s, when the company was created by an Imperial decree by Napoleon III. Basically, it became a top provider of water.

It was a business that generated tons of cash flows -- and allowed for dealmaking. However, this activity almost destroyed the company. As a result, over the past few years, Vivendi has been restructuring its operations, with the main focus on mobile.

Continue reading Vivendi: Sale or IPO for its NBC/Universal stake?

Vivendi: Sale or IPO for its NBC/Universal stake? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GEGeneral ElectricGOOGGoogleinthenewsNBC UniversalTime WarnerTWXVivendiSun, 20 Sep 2009 14:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Vivendi calls up a deal in Brazil]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/09/vivendi-calls-up-a-deal-in-brazil/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/09/vivendi-calls-up-a-deal-in-brazil/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/09/vivendi-calls-up-a-deal-in-brazil/#commentsFiled under: , ,

In the emerging markets, a key to growth is mobile. And, this is revving up M&A activity for the major operators, who are trying to grab marketshare.

This is certainly the case with Vivendi. Recently, the company's chief -- Jean-Bernard Levy -- said he has a credit line of close to $9 billion to do deals.

Well, he hasn't wasted much time. Late yesterday, Vivendi announced a buyout bid for GVT SA, which is a fixed-line phone company in Brazil. The transaction comes to about $3 billion (or a 16% premium to the current stock price).

Continue reading Vivendi calls up a deal in Brazil

Vivendi calls up a deal in Brazil originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GEGeneral ElectricGVTinthenewsNBC UniversalVivendiWed, 09 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EST<![CDATA[General Electric (GE) likely to hold onto NBC - Vivendi CEO]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/09/02/general-electric-ge-likely-to-hold-onto-nbc-vivendi-ceo/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/09/02/general-electric-ge-likely-to-hold-onto-nbc-vivendi-ceo/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/09/02/general-electric-ge-likely-to-hold-onto-nbc-vivendi-ceo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

GE logoGeneral Electric (NYSE: GE - option chain) shares are soaring higher today due to a number of factors such as sinking oil futures, but also on comments from Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy. Levy said in an interview with the Financial Times that he has heard GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt say several times both privately and publicly that GE has no intention of selling its 80% of NBC Universal. Levy may have more information that the average investor on this matter since Vivendi owns the remaining 20% of NBC. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on NBC.

GE opened this morning at $28.54. So far today the stock has hit a low of $28.53 and a high of $29.10. As of 12:25, GE is trading at $29.10, up $0.94 (3.4%). The chart for GE looks bullish and S&P gives GE a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $24 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 9.9% return in just three and a half months as long as GE is above $24 at December expiration. GE would have to fall by more than 17% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

Continue reading General Electric (GE) likely to hold onto NBC - Vivendi CEO

General Electric (GE) likely to hold onto NBC - Vivendi CEO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GEGeneral ElectricGeneralElectricinthenewsInvestors ObserverInvestorsObserverNBCNBC UniversalNbcUniversaloptionsVivendiTue, 02 Sep 2008 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[U2 signs long-term deal with Live Nation]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/31/u2-signs-long-term-deal-with-live-nation/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/31/u2-signs-long-term-deal-with-live-nation/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/31/u2-signs-long-term-deal-with-live-nation/#commentsFiled under: , ,

According to the BBC this morning, Irish rock band U2 have signed a 12-year deal with Live Nation, Inc. (NYSE: LYV) on top of the band's deal with Vivendi's Universal Music Group. The deal will see the band consolidate previous arrangements and connections with Live Nation and includes merchandising, digital, and branding rights. U2 follows Madonna into an extensive contract with Live Nation, although record releases were included for Madonna.

Financial arrangements between U2 and Live Nation have not been disclosed, but it would not be surprising to see the band enjoy a similar deal to Madonna, who reportedly signed for $120 million over 10 years. Both deals are part of a larger trend of so-called "360 degree deals", according to the BBC, where artists "combine their recording, publishing and touring revenues." U2's lead singer Bono told the BBC as well that U2 and Live Nation had been in a "relationship for 20 years" so the new deal has been a long time coming.

U2's move is quite unsurprising given the latest trends for artists, but it should be noted that record label Universal retained a relationship with the band. As previously stated, Madonna's deal included Live Nation taking charge from Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) to release her new albums (after the upcoming release). The fact that Universal was able to keep U2 in some degree means that either a larger deal for the release of albums was already in place, or the record labels are seeing the shift and making amends to keep artists in traditional outlets.

U2 signs long-term deal with Live Nation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bonou2universal music groupUniversalMusicGroupvivendiwarner music groupWarnerMusicGroupMon, 31 Mar 2008 17:58:00 EST<![CDATA[EMI planning to join Nokia for new music/phone program]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/20/emi-planning-to-join-nokia-for-new-music-phone-program/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/20/emi-planning-to-join-nokia-for-new-music-phone-program/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/20/emi-planning-to-join-nokia-for-new-music-phone-program/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Reuters reported yesterday that privately held EMI Group plans to join Vivendi's Universal Music Group and offer songs in Nokia (NYSE: NOK) mobile devices as part of the new "Comes with Music" program. The report comes out of Nokia's home country, Finland, but since Universal's commitment bridges international divisions, it is likely the EMI connection will as well.

The "Comes with Music" program was first announced in December 2007, with Universal fully on board to offer unlimited access to millions of Digital Rights Management-free tracks for a year, and any tracks on the phones at the end of the year becoming the consumers'. Clearly, the program has a major upside in that the end of a subscription does not mean music tracks are going to disappear, something that always seems to be at the fore of subscription-based music plans. The tracks will also be available on those consumers' computers.

As nice as the plan is, the labels will not lose too much from allowing a subscription plan like that to take off. Nokia and label executives are banking on the size of catalogs to combat fears that it will hurt the music industry financially. In the press release for "Comes with Music", Nokia's Executive Vice President for Multimedia stated, "even if you listened to music 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you would still only scratch the surface of the music that we're making available."

With two major labels on board, the "Comes with Music" program is sure to be on the right track to succeed when it is launched later this year. The only worry that likely remains is whether any other digital store will initiate a better or similar plan to increase sales.

EMI planning to join Nokia for new music/phone program originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comes with MusicComesWithMusicemiinthenewsnoknokiaUniversal Music GroupUniversalMusicGroupvivendiThu, 20 Mar 2008 15:18:00 EST<![CDATA[Napster plans for user-friendly MP3s]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/07/napster-plans-for-user-friendly-mp3s/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/07/napster-plans-for-user-friendly-mp3s/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/07/napster-plans-for-user-friendly-mp3s/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Napster logo on Tower Records posterNapster (NASDAQ: NAPS) -- the mother of all file-sharing services that in 10 years' time has found itself one among many digital-music services struggling for its very survival -- is hoping its new move will attract more users. Today, Napster CEO Chris Gorog said the company is shifting to MP3 downloads free of digital-rights-management software [subscription required], or DRM.

The move is expected to occur sometime in the second quarter, but Napster has yet to finalize the arrangements with some of the four major music companies - Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE), Warner Music Group, EMI Group and Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group. The final three on this list recently began selling MP3s on the download service available through Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). Sony has yet to report plans to sell its tracks as MP3s, but is reportedly expected to come forward soon.

Continue reading Napster plans for user-friendly MP3s

Napster plans for user-friendly MP3s originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aaplamznChris GorogChrisGorogdigital musicDigitalMusicDRMemi groupEmiGroupiPodiTunesMP3msftnapsNapstersneuniversal musicUniversalMusicvivendiwarner musicWarnerMusicwindows mediaWindowsMediaMon, 07 Jan 2008 14:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Before the bell: Stock futures somewhat higher]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/12/03/before-the-bell-stock-futures-somewhat-higher/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/12/03/before-the-bell-stock-futures-somewhat-higher/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/12/03/before-the-bell-stock-futures-somewhat-higher/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Stock futures are indicating a somewhat higher start this morning as oil prices continue to slide and Vivendi acquiring Activision. However, investors will keep a close watch on some data due out today, while awaiting more readings on the job market and manufacturing sector this week to get a better indication on the state on the U.S. economy.

Last week was a a good one on Wall Street. U.S. stocks rose after comments from Federal Reserve officials hinted at interest-rate cuts as well as cash injections into Citigroup, Freddie Mac and E*Trade. The Dow industrials rose 3% last week, its third best weekly performance of the year and the best weekly point gain in more than four years. The S&P 500 rose 2.7% and the Nasdaq Composite added 2.4%.

Today, the Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing index for November is due at 10:00 a.m. EST. Economists forecast the index have slipped to 50.5% from 50.9 the month before. Any reading above 50 indicates economic expansion and if the reading drops below it, markets could decline in reaction.
After that, automakers will begin reporting their November light vehicle sales in the U.S., which may have declined since October and flattened compared to a year ago. General Motors is expected to show a small decline in sales, Ford may post no change, while Chrysler is forecast to show the biggest decline in November sales out of the Big 3.

Continue reading Before the bell: Stock futures somewhat higher

Before the bell: Stock futures somewhat higher originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amgnatviertsffeaturedgmvivendiMon, 03 Dec 2007 07:46:00 EST<![CDATA[In the rap battle for sales, Kanye trumps 50 Cent]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/19/in-the-rap-battle-for-sales-kanye-trumps-50-cent/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/19/in-the-rap-battle-for-sales-kanye-trumps-50-cent/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/19/in-the-rap-battle-for-sales-kanye-trumps-50-cent/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Hunker down with your iPod and set "Just a Lil Bit" to repeat mode ... you may be hurting for new 50 Cent tracks if he leaves the business. Last month, the Eminem protégé (née Curtis Jackson III) made a flippant statement to reporters that he would leave show business if Kanye West's latest release, Graduation, topped 50 Cent's new album, Curtis, in its first week of sales. Both albums "dropped" on September 11.

The publicized sales battle was resolved today, and to Kanye went the spoils. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the man behind the 2005 smash single "Gold Digger" sold 957,000 copies in its first week of release, while 50 Cent's new album sold just 691,000. 50's last album, The Massacre, hit shelves in 2005 and sold 1.1 million copies in its first week. A publicized temper-tantrum after the Video Music Awards and a self-mocking appearance on Sunday's Emmy's broadcast may have helped give Kanye the edge.

Graduation was released on Roc-A-Fella Records, co-founded by Jay-Z, while Curtis was on the Aftermath label, which is owned by Dr. Dre. Both are ultimately distributed by Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal.

Continue reading In the rap battle for sales, Kanye trumps 50 Cent

In the rap battle for sales, Kanye trumps 50 Cent originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>50 cent50Centcurtisgraduationhoward sternHowardSternkanye westKanyeWestuniversal musicUniversalMusicvivendiWed, 19 Sep 2007 18:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Universal Music sues MySpace.com...here we go]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/20/universal-music-sues-myspace-com-here-we-go/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/20/universal-music-sues-myspace-com-here-we-go/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/20/universal-music-sues-myspace-com-here-we-go/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In what I consider to be an "initial barb" at social sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, Vivendi-owned Universal Music Group has filed a suit against MySpace.com. The suit claims that the Web property allows copyrighted material to be posted on user pages within the News Corp.'s (NYSE:NWS) MySpace website.

If you recall, Google, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) even set aside $200 million in its stock last week to prepare for similar copyright infringement cases against its newly acquired YouTube. These lawsuits are sure to come soon as the Internet search giant propels YouTube to the forefront of its online video business. Google might also be considering integrating YouTube with its flagging Google Video, which indeed saw quite a bit of fanfare upon launch (and re-launch), but has fizzled to catch online leader iTunes and other online video websites since.

With MySpace being the first social sharing website to be sued, it will not be the last by any stretch. Universal's suit was filed just hours after MySpace stated that it would offer an enhanced copyright protection tool to make it easier for content owners to remove unauthorized material. What perfect timing Universal had -- although the music company saw MySpace's announcement as perfectly timed to coincide with its lawsuit. Perhaps.

Universal Music claims that MySpace had not only allowed users to upload videos illegally but had also taken part in the infringement by re-formatting the videos for users to play back and to send on to others. Strike one. Let's pay attention to the rest of this game as old media continues to not understand that its business has changed *forever* -- the playing field from 1980 and 1990 is gone for good.

Universal Music sues MySpace.com...here we go originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightgooggoogleMySpaceMySpace lawsuitMyspaceLawsuitnews corpNewsCorpnwsUniversal Music GroupUniversalMusicGroupVivendiyoutubeMon, 20 Nov 2006 13:25:00 EST<![CDATA[The $50 billion Vivendi buyout that almost happened]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/06/the-50-billion-vivendi-buyout-that-almost-happened/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/06/the-50-billion-vivendi-buyout-that-almost-happened/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/06/the-50-billion-vivendi-buyout-that-almost-happened/#commentsFiled under: ,

Billions have flooded into private equity funds over the past few years. As a result, funds are starting to focus on mega deals. Examples: HCA ($33 billion), Freescale ($17.6 billion) and Kinder Morgan ($15 billion).

Recently, according to a report from the New York Times, the venerable private equity firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, was prepared to trigger a $50 billion buyout of Vivendi, a huge French conglomerate.

The deal fell apart though. Why? Well, mega deals can be extremely complex. In the case of Vivendi, there would have been onerous government regulations to deal with.

Interestingly enough, a few years ago Vivendi was on the verge of implosion because of an M&A binge. Since then, however, the company has had a nice turnaround and it is now has a collection of assets that would be of interest to private equity firms: SFR (mobile operator), Canal Plus (pay TV), Universal Music Group and a highly profitable gaming division.

Basically, private equity firms like plays where divisions can be sold-off in pieces. That is, there may be more value generated from the pieces than the whole.

The fact that Vivendi talked to KKR is very significant; it makes it more likely other firms will now approach the conglomerate.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and operates InvestorOffering.com.

The $50 billion Vivendi buyout that almost happened originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Nov 2006 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BuyoutKohlberg Kravis RobertsKohlbergKravisRobertsprivate equityPrivateEquityVivendiMon, 06 Nov 2006 09:42:00 EST<![CDATA[Today in Money & Finance (11/6/03): Retire well, tech help, fast-food spying]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/06/today-in-money-and-finance-11-6-03-retirement-tech-help-and-f/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/06/today-in-money-and-finance-11-6-03-retirement-tech-help-and-f/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/06/today-in-money-and-finance-11-6-03-retirement-tech-help-and-f/#commentsFiled under: , ,

See the stories that editors at AOL Money & Finance are talking about this morning...

In the News:
-- Four Seasons Hotels Gets $3.7 Billion Buyout Offer
-- Abbott Labs Buys Cholesterol Drug Maker Kos for $3.7 Billion
-- Vivendi Talks With KKR Over a Potential $50 Billion Takeover Bid Collapsed
-- Google to Sell Print Ads for 50 Major Newspapers
-- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Profit Soars in 3Q
-- Merrill Lynch Hit By Private Equity Probe
-- Toyota Prius Demand Slows, The Waiting Is Over
-- Hollywood Studios Asking Stars to Share Their Pain
-- Big Weekend for 20th Century Fox and 'Borat'


Candid Camera at the Fast-Food Drive-Thru
Smile! Candid camera could soon be coming to the fast-food drive-thru near you. As you place your order a camera located at the drive-thru order window will take a picture of you and your car. The photos supposedly will help staff accurately match the order to the customer, thus cutting down on botched orders. Would it bother you getting photographed every time you place an order? Is Big Brother watching you?
Some fast-food chains want your picture at the drive-thru - Nov. 6, 2006


Best Places to Vacation
Instead of the typical vacation, consider these more memorable journeys. According to MONEY magazine they are a wine county bike tour in Sonoma, CA, a luxury train from San Antonio to Mexico City, a road trip from New York City to Quebec and an antebellum Christmas cruise from South Carolina to Florida.
Best Places to Vacation | 4 | Money Magazine


A Boomer Couple's Big Gamble That Doubled Their Net Worth in Two Years
Without enough money to retire on, Tom Murphy and his wife rolled the dice. See how a Costa Rican fixer-upper doubled their net worth in just two years.
Save Your Retirement [Fool.com: Commentary] October 31, 2006


Retire Well for Less Than You Think
You'd be surprised at how far your money will go once you no longer have to pay the costs of working.
Retire Well for Less Than You Think


Good Tech Help Hard to Find
With many tech options, getting gadgets to work together isn't easy. Consumers are fumbling through thick manuals, holding on customer-support phone lines, searching for tech experts or driving themselves mad. Most people say they've become so flustered, they've ended up swearing, shouting, experiencing chest pains, crying or smashing things. Here is how you can improve your tech support experience by getting the most out of your call for help.
Technology troubles set off tantrums, tears and tirades

Top Tips for Safely Buying Toys
When shopping for children's toys this holiday season, put safety at the top of your list. Watch for small pieces, easily breakable parts when buying toys.
Safety issues can be ugly surprise in toys for kids - USATODAY.com

Allan Halprin, managing editor of AOL Money & Finance, prepares "Today in Money & Finance" each weekday morning.

Today in Money & Finance (11/6/03): Retire well, tech help, fast-food spying originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Nov 2006 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>private equityPrivateEquityretirementtechtoysvacationVivendiMon, 06 Nov 2006 09:20:00 EST