Vodafone poised to buy Vivendi's Vizzavi stake – report

Vodafone is planning to buy partner Vivendi's stake in Vizzavi, their joint venture Web portal, according to a story in today's Wall Street Journal. Vivendi is currently financially challenged to the tune of €10 billion, and the two companies have allegedly already put €1 billion into the site (although it is not immediately clear where this went), but the sum being talked of for Vivendi's half is €150 million or thereabouts.

Heavily-bonused Vodafone boss Chris Gent is also thought to be keen on bigger Vivendi fish, in the shape of the company's French mobile network SFR. This prospect is further whitening the knuckles of Vodafone shareholders, who don't necessarily agree that stricken Vivendi is an opportunity rather than an awful warning.

Back at the portal, former users of vodafone.net, which was reversed into Vizzavi when the joint venture kicked off, will be impressed that the Journal suggests Vodafone plans to phase out the Vizzavi brand in favour of its own brands in the eight markets covered. So you they're going to change your email address back again, whoopee... ®