Vincent Bollore’s Vivendi extends stake in Lagardère following boardroom drama

Vincent Bollore’s Vivendi, owner of French pay TV operator Canal+, has acquired another stake in local production firm Lagardère.

Vincent Bolloré

The European conglomerate, that last year bought a 10.6% stake in Lagardère, has now snapped up hedge fund firm Amber Capital’s 17.9% stake in the Paris-headquartered media outfit.

The purchase comes after boardroom drama at Lagardère, with Amber Capital previously making attempts to oust its head Arnaud Lagardère.

Producer and distributor Lagardère owns 25 production labels including Lagardère Studios, which was acquired by Mediawan last year as part of its plan to become a pan-European media player.

As well as France, Lagardère has a presence in Spain (Grupo Boomerang), Finland (Aito Media), the Netherlands (Skyhigh TV) and Senegal (Keewu).