Latest news with #Bollore
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indian ad industry a different world, growing tremendously: Havas CEO
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Services 1. Gaming co MPL accuses ASCI of 'tampering' with their ads The advertising industry in India is "growing tremendously" and "is a different world" compared to Europe, said Yannick Bollore , global chief executive and chairman of French advertising group Havas, which represents Reckitt Benckiser, Swiggy Tata Motors and Hindustan Unilever in India, across creative, media buying and outdoor advertising."When you look at Europe or the US compared to what's happening in India, it's a completely different world. We are happy with 2-3% organic growth in Europe; in India you have 10% plus growth year-on-year," he told ET at Havas Village, the Gurugram-based India office of the ₹2.7 billion listed French advertising and communications group. "India and China are two regions of the world where we see tremendous growth - they're two very large economies with very large populations." Large multinationals such as Coca-Cola, Reckitt Benckiser, Levi's and Unilever have identified India as a core growth bastion amid global headwinds, despite an ongoing urban chief of the world's fifth largest ad group, said he's advising global advertisers "to continue investing in India" despite recent geopolitical disturbances and US-imposed tariffs, which have disrupted business and investor sentiment."These (events) do create uncertainty.. investors and businesses don't like uncertainty. When clients make investments, they want to make sure they know the landscape or the rules for the coming three, four, five years. We're telling them to continue looking at the long term... that if you invest for the long term, you'll find growth," he India operates 25 agencies under creative, media and health verticals. Last December, the French network announced its listing on Euronext, Amsterdam, but retained a minority family ownership."I know in today's world, it's hard because we have so many moving pieces from a geopolitical or macroeconomic environment. But in terms of investment in advertising, we don't see any real impact.. people are continuing to deploy their plans," Bollore optimism about the Indian ad market, which estimates peg at '1.6 lakh crore, Bollore said, "Millions of people here are accessing the middle class with buying power. That's driving growth for cars, consumer products and spirits. Manufacturing and infrastructure are driving growth too.. so is talent and the level of education - this is a strong consumer facing country."However, the sector has been seeing intensified competition. The past months have seen mega global consolidation, such as New York's Omnicom Group's announcing a merger with Interpublic Group to create a global behemoth, with agencies such as McCann, Lowe Lintas, FCB and DDB Mudra in their fold. Publicis Groupe, too, has been in consolidation mode, with agencies under its network including Publicis, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and a query on how Havas would compete against the global giants, Bollore said, "To operate, I believe you need to have some scale.. If you want to operate globally, you need to have a network of agencies all over the world in multiple areas of expertise, creativity, media buying, e-commerce, social media, everything... At the same time, it's better not to be the biggest. Because when you're the biggest, you don't really have advantages, you are less agile. I think for Havas being the best challenger at scale is giving us a different type of edge."Bollore declined to comment on a potential acquisition of stake in Sam Balsara-owned Madison World, but said inorganic growth and strategic acquisitions were very much part of the group's growth plans.
Reuters
28-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Vivendi may challenge court ruling on breakup, says secretary general
PARIS, April 28 (Reuters) - Vivendi ( opens new tab may challenge a court ruling requiring France's market watchdog to look again at whether shareholders should have received a mandatory buyout offer when the group split last year, its secretary general said on Monday. The former media group spun off its Canal+ (CAN.L), opens new tab, Louis Hachette ( opens new tab and Havas ( opens new tab businesses in December, listing them separately as standalone companies in London, Paris and Amsterdam. The break-up was approved by more than 97% of the group's shareholders. However it faced strong opposition from some minority shareholders, who argued that the split would increase top shareholder Bollore SE's ( opens new tab grip on Vivendi and its now former entities at their expense. In a rare move, the Paris Court of Appeal last week overruled the French markets authority, the AMF, ruling that billionaire Vincent Bollore controlled the Vivendi group and that the securities regulator should reexamine the spin-off. If the AMF says a mandatory buyout should have taken place, a reversal of the split seems unlikely, but shareholders' compensation could be considered. Speaking to shareholders on Monday, Vivendi Secretary General Frederic Crepin said the court's opinion that the Bollore group controlled Vivendi in the legal sense was "entirely questionable". Bollore has a 29.3% stake in Vivendi.
Reuters
28-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Vivendi's net asset value climbs to $5.9 billion
April 28 (Reuters) - France's Vivendi ( opens new tab said on Monday the net asset value of its investments grew to 5.2 billion euros ($5.9 billion) as of March 31, 7.8% higher than December 31, as it published its quarterly revenues for the first time since its massive breakup. The media conglomerate, primarily owned by the Bollore group, has holdings in the media and entertainment sectors, including Universal Music Group ( opens new tab, video game developer Gameloft, and audiovisual production company Banijay. Vivendi's net debt was 1.7 billion euros as of March 31, 2025, down from 2 billion euros as of December 2024, after it sold the bulk of its stake in Telecom Italia (TIM) ( opens new tab to Poste Italiane ( opens new tab. "Our divestment from the telecoms industry led us to sell most of our stake in TIM, resulting in a substantial decrease in our financial net debt," the company said in a statement. Its revenue for the first quarter of 2025 were 69.4 million euros, the majority of which came from Gameloft whose sales totalled 68.5 million euros. According to Vivendi, the revenue brought by the current assets in the first quarter last year were 69 million euros. Vivendi's breakup is still challenged in courts by minority shareholders who claim the split allowed the Bollore clan to extend control over the group without making a buyout offer. The Paris Court of Appeals ruled on April 22 the French market watchdog must reasses the case. ($1 = 0.8793 euros)
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
French court orders market watchdog to review Vivendi's breakup
By Florence Loeve PARIS (Reuters) -The Paris court of appeals ruled on Tuesday the French market watchdog must reconsider whether a mandatory buyout offer is or was necessary when the former media conglomerate Vivendi completed its multibillion-euro split last year. Last December Vivendi spun off its Canal+, Louis Hachette and Havas businesses, which are now listed as standalone companies in London, Paris and Amsterdam respectively. The breakup was championed by Vivendi's largest shareholder Bollore SE, the holding company of French billionaire Vincent Bollore. While a reversal of the breakup appears unlikely, the ruling intensifies the existing legal battle between Paris-based investment fund CIAM, a minority Vivendi stakeholder that opposed the breakup, and Vivendi. By siding with the small activist fund CIAM, the court has partially annulled a previous decision from the French financial market regulator. "This decision is a historic one for minority shareholders," Julien Visconti, one of CIAM's lawyers, said in email to Reuters. Last November the French market watchdog, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), found that Bollore did not control Vivendi and so it did not have to examine whether Bollore should have filed a buyout bid or not. Bollore holds a 30.4% stake in the spinoffs, while it retains 29.3% of Vivendi's share capital. The court found that Vincent Bollore, "who controls the Bollore Group, has effectively determined, through the voting rights at his disposal, the decisions at Vivendi's general meetings." "Therefore, it is appropriate to recognize the existence of Vincent Bollore's control over Vivendi," it added. The demerger was approved with more than 97% of the votes at a shareholder meeting last year. CIAM claims that the split allowed Bollore to extend its control over the group without making a buyout offer. "The Paris Court of Appeals has resumed its role as guardian of minority rights and is sending a very strong signal to the AMF," he added. Representatives for the Bollore group, Vivendi and the French market watchdog could not immediately be reached for comment. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
22-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
French court orders market watchdog to review Vivendi's breakup
PARIS, April 22 (Reuters) - The Paris court of appeals ruled on Tuesday the French market watchdog must reconsider whether a mandatory buyout offer is or was necessary when the former media conglomerate Vivendi ( opens new tab completed its multibillion-euro split last year. Last December Vivendi spun off its Canal+ (CAN.L), opens new tab, Louis Hachette ( opens new tab and Havas ( opens new tab businesses, which are now listed as standalone companies in London, Paris and Amsterdam respectively. here. The breakup was championed by Vivendi's largest shareholder Bollore SE ( opens new tab, the holding company of French billionaire Vincent Bollore. While a reversal of the breakup appears unlikely, the ruling intensifies the existing legal battle between Paris-based investment fund CIAM, a minority Vivendi stakeholder that opposed the breakup, and Vivendi. By siding with the small activist fund CIAM, the court has partially annulled a previous decision from the French financial market regulator. "This decision is a historic one for minority shareholders," Julien Visconti, one of CIAM's lawyers, said in email to Reuters. Last November the French market watchdog, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), found that Bollore did not control Vivendi and so it did not have to examine whether Bollore should have filed a buyout bid or not. Bollore holds a 30.4% stake in the spinoffs, while it retains 29.3% of Vivendi's share capital. The court found that Vincent Bollore, "who controls the Bollore Group, has effectively determined, through the voting rights at his disposal, the decisions at Vivendi's general meetings." "Therefore, it is appropriate to recognize the existence of Vincent Bollore's control over Vivendi," it added. The demerger was approved with more than 97% of the votes at a shareholder meeting last year. CIAM claims that the split allowed Bollore to extend its control over the group without making a buyout offer. "The Paris Court of Appeals has resumed its role as guardian of minority rights and is sending a very strong signal to the AMF," he added. Representatives for the Bollore group, Vivendi and the French market watchdog could not immediately be reached for comment.
