Vivendi to Sell Activision Blizzard?

Scott Tortorice

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This is interesting:

Vivendi Said to Discuss Activision Unit Sale on June 22

A sale of Activision would be an attempt by Chairman Jean-Rene Fourtou to unlock value from assets he has said are at a discount because of the holding structure at Vivendi, which also owns Universal Music Group and phone operators in France, Morocco and Brazil. Fourtou will lead the weekend retreat in Corsica, which starts June 22 and will be attended by top executives including Chief Executive Officer Jean-Bernard Levy, as Paris-based Vivendi looks for ways to reverse a 28-percent slide in its stock price in the past 12 months through yesterday, the people said.

...

Activision, based in Santa Monica, California, is Vivendi’s fourth-biggest business, with sales of $4.76 billion last year. Shares of the world’s largest video-game publisher have gained 4.5 percent in the past year before today, outperforming Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (TTWO), helped by demand for the “Call of Duty” shooter franchise.

Activision was Vivendi’s second-fastest growing unit last year, after Brazilian phone operator GVT. The video-game publisher reported 2011 earnings, excluding taxes, of $1.33 billion, or 28 percent of sales.

Bigger Overhaul

An exit from Activision would be another retreat from the globe-trotting conglomerate structure Vivendi pioneered under former CEO Jean-Marie Messier, who nearly bankrupted the company with a $77 billion acquisition spree before he was ousted in 2002.
I hope this isn't a result of a preview build of BlOps 2. :D Or maybe the execs at Vivendi got really mad when they couldn't log on and play Diablo 3. :laugh:
 
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