REuters - Vivendi says not part of potential Canal Plus-Orange talks

Link to Article : http://reut.rs/2gMvsyZ

A series of deals have recently been announced between large media and telecoms groups, as the industry bets on the convergence of TV content with and Internet and phone services to compete better against newcomers such as Netflix, Amazon.com Inc.

Orange Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard said on Thursday that Orange would consider bidding for Vivendi's wholly-owned Canal Plus if it came up for sale.

The former telecoms monopoly is keen on forming a closer alliance with Canal Plus, Richard added, without elaborating.

Talks between Orange and Canal Plus so far have concerned a potential acquisition by Orange of a stake in Vivendi's pay-TV group, but no deal has been reached yet, according to two sources close to the matter.

An Orange spokeswoman declined to comment.

An alliance with Canal Plus would allow Orange to compete better against its French rival SFR Group, a subsidiary of telecoms and cable group Altice.

Altice said on Wednesday it had signed a strategic agreement with NBC Universal that provides exclusive distribution rights for the 13th Street and E! Entertainment TV channels.

SFR, whose media content also includes the English Premier League football, is betting on a combination of television content and mobile telecoms to set itself apart from competitors.