A Paris Court of Appeal rules that Vincent Bolloré and his holding company do not exercise control over Vivendi SE as of the period before Vivendi’s 2024 media-sector overhaul. Bloomberg, Deadline, and Variety report the decision upholds Bolloré’s position that he did not control Vivendi prior to the restructuring, which began in 2024. The ruling is described as potentially significant financially because an opposite finding could have triggered a mandatory buyout obligation for Vivendi, with analysts previously estimating a multi-billion-euro cost.
Deadline and Variety note that Vivendi confirms the appellate court’s ruling in a statement. Deadline also characterizes the decision as removing the threat of a compulsory offer “for now,” implying that further legal steps are possible. Bloomberg frames the decision as one that could ultimately save Bolloré’s company billions.
Across the reports, the key effect is the court’s rejection of the control claim at the time of the 2024 split, which changes the likelihood of an obligatory buyout tied to control under corporate and takeover rules.
