Vivendi, the giant media company chaired by billionaire Vincent Bolloré, is planning to list its French TV business, Canal+, on the London stock exchange. The listing aims to give a fillip to the UK markets, which have been bereft of enough international interest ever since a variety of major firms chose to list their shares in places such as New York recently.

This is part of Vivendi’s plan to break up its business into smaller, separately listed companies, unlocking more value for each. Listing Canal+ in London makes sense on the ground that it is growing internationally; it is buying Multichoice—Africa’s largest pay-TV operator—for $2.9 billion.

Vivendi explained, “With nearly two-thirds of its subscribers living outside France, and a film and TV series network spread across the globe, listing Canal+ in London would attract international investors who are interested in the company.”

The latest move in Vivendi’s plan to break up its media empire is an announcement the firm has made. The media conglomerate started the process in 2021 by floating Universal Music Group in Amsterdam. Universal Music, home to artists including Taylor Swift, is now valued at €51 billion; the stock price has risen almost 30% in the past year.

It also said its advertising firm, Havas, would list in Amsterdam. A third part of Vivendi’s operations, its publishing arm now known as Louis Hachette Group, will list on the Paris stock exchange. Canal+ will also have a secondary listing in Johannesburg, where Multichoice is based.

Vivendi tried to reassure that the teams, and the decision-makers for all three businesses, would stay in France.

Furthermore, it has promised to spend some $300 million on the purchase of a stake in Viu, the popular Hong Kong-based streaming service. It boasts of over 66 million monthly active users, with 12 million paying subscribers. The deal may give Canal+ entry to a large audience across Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa.
Listing Canal+ in London is expected to enhance further the role of the UK as an international financial center. The more international companies and investments it attracts, the more it can enhance the global reputation of its market and stimulate economic growth.

It is also a strategic move by Vivendi to make its individual businesses more specialized and competitive. If Canal+ is on the path of worldwide expansion, this split may bring more specialized management and raise performance for each of these two parts.
Apart from that, Canal+, together with the Czech investment group PPF, purchased 29.3 percent of Viaplay, a Nordic country streaming service with hurdles in its financial performance. This is going to be part of a recovery plan for the struggling streamer.

This giant step for Vivendi and Canal+ was one of further growth and adaptation amidst times of change in the media.