“I admire Disney,” Vivendi CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine said on Tuesday. And he shared that if asked “what I wish Vivendi to become,” his vision was clear: “to create a kind of European Disney-type of company.”
Speaking at the Paley Center’s Paley International Council Summit in a session that was live streamed, the head of the French conglomerate behind the likes of pay TV company and StudioCanal owner Canal+, game maker Gameloft and video streamer Dailymotion, shared that he has a print on his desk of drawing by Walt Disney from the 1950s.
It features Mickey Mouse and Disney’s “thinking about the future of his company,” including “what he will do in terms of resorts and TV and broadcasting and movies and magazines and games and you name it,” he said.
The executive didn’t elaborate on his vision, but his comments suggested a company with a hand in activities across the media and entertainment space that can help or cross-promote each other.
Industry observers have looked to see what focus Vivendi would take after the spin-off of Universal Music. Its biggest division is now Canal+, but it also owns ad giant Havas, publishing group Editis and more, meaning its activities span TV, film, gaming, books and ticketing, among others.
Universal Music Group’s shares jumped in their stock market debut on Amsterdam’s Euronext exchange in late September as the French conglomerate used the music powerhouse’s listing to cash in on a bounceback of the music sector thanks to a boom in streaming revenue. Vivendi will be retaining a stake of about 10 percent in the music major for a minimum period of two years.
The Vivendi CEO spoke Tuesday in a Paley session entitled “A Global Vision for the Media Sector.”
