Vivendi Universal is used in Euronext Paris ). Its Euronext stock is part of the CAC 40.

the company disclosed a corporate loss of Twenty-three.Three billion euros in its 2002 annual report: the worst loss to this date for the French company. Amid unbearable media scrutinty, its flamboyant Chairman and CEO, Jean-Marie Messier (who experienced overseen a virtually all spectacular phase of the company's diversification), was after replaced by Jean-René Fourtou.

History
Vivendi Universal was created inside December of 2000 with the massive merger of the Vivendi media empire with Canal+ television networks and a Canadian company Seagram, the creator of Universal Studios film company. What got another time been Vivendi's core business (h2o & waste services & more utilities) experienced antecedently been spun off as a separate company, currently called Veolia Environnement.

View a single corporations' articles for pre-merger company history.

2001
Inside 2001, VU acquired MP3.com and a leading American publisher, Houghton Mifflin.

2002
Around 2002, VU began facing financial condition. It began fiscal reshuffle, trying to shore higher media holdings when selling murder shares around its spin-off companies. VU reduced its stake inside Vivendi Environnement to 40% and sold its stake around Vinci Construction. A flamboyant company's Chairman and CEO, Jean-Marie Messier (who got overseen a virtually all striking phase of Vivendi's diversification) resigned. He was replaced by Jean-Rene Fourtou. A company so began reorganizing to head off bankruptcy. A company announced its strategy to sell non-strategic plus. Its big individual shareowner was a personal of Edgar Bronfman, Jr., who was head of Seagram at the time of the merger. VU sold its stake inside Vizzavi to Vodafone, with a exception of Vizzavi France. It as well sold Xx.4% of Vivendi Environnement's capital to the class action of investors, & its stake within Northward Western satellite operator EchoStar Communications Corporation.

2003
VU sold Canal+ Technologies to Thomson (formerly Thomson Multimédia); Tele+ to News Corporation and Telecom Italia. It as well sold its Xxvi.3% interest around Xfera. In March 6, 2003, Vivendi disclosed its annual report (term ended at December 31,2002), that is downloadable in pdf format on its places. Occasionally highlights include: Corporate loss of Xxiii.Three billion euros: the worst loss for a French company. Nett debt of Dozen.Three billion euros Vivendi may sell plus for Septet billons euros inside 2003 In December 1, 2003, Vivendi closed a treat to sell MP3.com to CNET.

2004
A Vivendi Universal Entertainment branch merged sustaining NBC to form NBC Universal. VU too sold its interests inside Kencell, Monaco Telecom and Sportfive (which it held through Canal+ Class action). VU sold Newsworld International to the business partnership of Joel Hyatt and former Vice-President of the United States Al Gore VU & Valve Software (makers of Half-Life) went head to head over a distribution of Half-Life 2 to cyber cafés, they down the road come to an agreement stating: A authority of distributing cyber café licenses come to become handed across to Valve from either VUG (& Sierra), & licenses granted by VUG & Sierra to cyber cafés before a agreement come revoked. VUG would prevent distributing a lot retail packaged versions of Valve games by August 31, 2005.

2005

VU close the fanmade King's Quest IX plan, two or three months prior to a final release date.

Current assets (partial list)
Canal+ Group - 100% Universal Music Group - 92% Vivendi Universal Games - 99% (which includes Blizzard Entertainment) NBC Universal - 20% long-term ownership interest SFR Cegetel Group - 56% Maroc Telecom - 35% Sierra Entertainment Seagram