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tv everywhere_news 21/04/2015 20:33 Page 5 Vivendi moves on Dailymotion control ominant French telco Orange and and content and media group Vivendi have entered exclusive negotiations for Vivendi to take an 80% stake in Dailymotion for €217m. This corresponds to an enterprise value for Dailymotion of €265m, Orange will retain a 20% stake in the company. For Orange this fits the Group’s ambition to bring Dailymotion together with a strategic, content-focused partner that is capable of giving it the means to accelerate its growth and to turn it into one of the world’s largest content distribution platforms. For Vivendi, the acquisition of 80% of Dailymotion’s capital represents an important step forward in its effort to create a global group and French champion in the media and content industries. It enables Vivendi to derive significant value from its content and to hold a controlling stake in a global distribution platform. The D numerous opportunities for collaboration between Dailymotion and Vivendi assets such as Universal Music Group and Groupe Canal+ can be deployed rapidly in a way that will accelerate and reinforce Vivendi’s worldwide presence. Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange, said: “Orange has supported the development of Dailymotion since 2011 as the company has increased its audience by 2.5 times and grown it into one of Europe’s biggest success stories in the digital domain. Our partnership with Vivendi will This is a first step in our ambition to create a large, global group that is focused on media and content. Virgin extends TiVo deal UK cable MSO Virgin Media has extended its existing five-year partnership with TiVo for a further three years. As part of the new agreement, Virgin Media has committed to the development of nextgeneration solutions from TiVo. Virgin Media launched the first set-top box incorporating TiVo software in 2010. Since launch, it has installed TiVo enabled set-top boxes in more than 2.5 million homes. The platform brought together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on 10 TV Everywhere demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box. In 2012, Virgin Media launched its Virgin TV Anywhere service which underpinned the seamless experience for TV viewers. Gregor McNeil, Virgin Media’s chief operating officer, said it continued to lead the UK market in bringing together the broadest choice of programming along with the best way to access it. David Sandford, VP and GM of TiVo’s international operator business, said that Virgin Media had been among its most innovative customers, successfully deploying TiVo and leveraging its integration of linear, VOD and OTT content sources to create an unmatched offering in the UK. “TiVo is proud to serve Virgin Media with critical enable Dailymotion, in which we remain a 20 per cent shareholder, to accelerate its growth internationally and to enhance its content offer.” Vincent Bolloré, Chairman of Vivendi’s Supervisory Board, described the acquisition of 80% of Dailymotion’s capital as “an excellent opportunity” that would provide the group with added reach in the diffusion of high-quality musical and audiovisual content across the world. “We are particularly enthusiastic at the idea of supporting Dailymotion in this important new phase of their development as the company evolves into a reference global platform. This is a first step in our ambition to create a large, global group that is focused on media and content. In addition, this operation illustrates our capacity to develop international strategic partnerships, in particular with Orange.” Orange has held 100% of Dailymotion since January 2013, following its initial acquisition of 49% of the company’s capital in April 2011. Dailymotion is the second largest aggregation and distribution platform in the world, with over 2.5 billion videos seen per month. The company registered sales of €64m in 2014, a figure that has increased by 30% every year since 2012. It employs 222 people, based mainly in France and the United States of America. solutions in a challenging and competitive landscape, helping to drive revenue growth and material gains in customer satisfaction,” he added. Netflix plans anti-VPN global content Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has suggested that introducing global content will disincentivise would-be subscribers from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access different versions of the service. Speaking to Gizmodo Australia – in a territory where it has been suggested there are are as m [