Vivendi Denies Sogecable Speculation

PARIS, August 10: Vivendi said in a statement today that it
“categorically denies” press reports about it preparing a 4 billion euros bid
for Spanish pay-TV giant Sogecable.

The news was first reported in the British weekly The
Business, and the ensuing speculation
prompted a 3-percent fall in Vivendi’s share price yesterday.

There have been rumors of a Sogecable sell-off since the
death of Jesus Polanco, who was the chairman of Grupo Prisa, which owns a
43-percent stake in Sogecable.