Vivendi to sell off its Universal assests

[CTXRover]

From www.showbizdata.com

"Vivendi Universal made it official Tuesday: It plans to sell off its U.S. entertainment units and presumably will drop the "Universal" from its name in the process. At a shareholders meeting, CEO Jean-René Fourtou said that his goal was to complete the sale of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE) before the end of the year and that negotiations are already in progress. VUE includes Universal Studios, the Universal THEME PARKS, and the USA Networks holdings. " "It would be a delusion to think that we, a French company, can become a leader in American television," Fourtou told the shareholders. "
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This could potentially be very good for the Universal company. It is definetely in their best interest to separate from the faltering Vivendi parent company. Of course, now the future of the company depends on who will be willing to 'buy' Universal .

 

[TURKEY]

Here's a link to an article in the Orlando Sentinel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...0,0,5414224.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

 

[bvolguards]

maybe Disney will by them....

 

[pheneix]

The Orlando Sentinel says that Blackstone may be in the running to buy the parks division (which is the same thing that I have been railing on about for close to a year now).

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...02,0,399013.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

If Blackstone buys the parks, I hope they bite the bullet and buy the movie studio along with it. The two entities are practically joined at the hip, and it will be a nasty legal jungle to have to tame if the two were ever split up.

 

[CTXRover]

Originally posted by pheneix
The Orlando Sentinel says that Blackstone may be in the running to buy the parks division (which is the same thing that I have been railing on about for close to a year now).

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...02,0,399013.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

If Blackstone buys the parks, I hope they bite the bullet and buy the movie studio along with it. The two entities are practically joined at the hip, and it will be a nasty legal jungle to have to tame if the two were ever split up.

That could be a nightmare!!! The company should NOT be split up among different owners for different divisions, even if it is the only way to sell the company off. Not only would this create a legal battle, but also an identity crisis for the parks.
"Yes, we are Universal, but not really" (if you understand what I mean)

Also, should Blackstone buy the parks, it sounds like it is only for their own financial gain, in hoping to sell the parks off again to someone else when the economy is high and they can sell them off for more. What a disaster!

Its interesting that for Disney a major source of income is the theme parks, while with this sale, it seems companies don't want Universal Studios if the parks are attached. It doesn't make sense to me. Sure they are not as attended as the Disney parks, but they still bring in the crowds. It'll be a shame if the Universal company is broken up. Here's hoping something better happens for them.

 

[Testtrack321]

Now if it's sold there might be hope for more rides at IoA and USF.