Former Vivendi Chairman Vincent Bollore, CEO Arnaud De Puyfontaine Indicted For Alleged Market Manipulation

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentCinema admissions in France, Europe’s biggest movie market, plunged 70% in 2020, compared with 2019, decimated by COVID-19, which saw French cinemas shutter for 176 days this year, France’s National Film Board (CNC) announced on Wednesday.Total ticket sales came in at 65.1 million, according to the CNC, 65.2 million according to Comscore, which valued that trawl at €450 million ($549 million) in gross box office.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe battle is heating up between ex-Vivendi boss Vincent Bolloré and Mediaset founder and former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, European media barons and former friends.Four years after their botched pay-TV deal, where Vivendi walked away from plans to buy Mediaset’s pay-TV unit — a pact that was supposed to lead to a strategic alliance that could have given the family-controlled companies scale to compete against streamers — the barons and their

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorMONDAY, Dec. 21The Florida Film Critics Circle awarded its top prize to “First Cow,” and the film’s John Magaro also received a nod in the Best Actor category as a runner up.Current Oscar frontrunner and festival darling “Nomadland” also landed two wins, Best Director for Chloe Zhao and the Best Actress to Frances McDormand.The complete list of 2020 winners is below:BEST PICTURE “First Cow” Runner up: “Nomadland”/”Trial of the Chicago 7″/”Minari”BEST ACTOR Anthony

Gillian Anderson has taken to her Instagram to introduce her new pet pooch to her friends and family. Sharing an adorable picture of herself cuddling up to her new dog, Gillian, who already has a French Bulldog named Nelson, wrote: "Meet my new gf Stella."MORE: Margaret Thatcher's biographer talks 'silly' inaccuracies in season four of The CrownThe star's followers were quick to comment on the cute snap, with one writing: "I'm so happy for you.

sexual assault, as part of what has become a broad French probe into alleged sexual exploitation of women and girls by Epstein and his circle.Contacted for comment by The Associated Press, Huisman described Brunel's arrest as “such great news. Best Christmas present ever.”She broke down in tears when the prosecutors' list of suspected sex crimes for which Brunel was detained was read to her over the telephone.

Former Liverpool and France manager Gerard Houllier has died, according to French media. The 73-year-old, who also managed Aston Villa, Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) and Paris St Germain (PSG), passed away after having a heart operation in Paris, L'Equipe said.

direct to your inboxFormer Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has died at the age of 73.Houllier passed away on Monday morning, French media reported. The cause of death is not yet known.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentVivendi, the parent company of Canal Plus and Universal Music Group, has entered exclusive negotiations with Gruner + Jahr/Bertelsmann to acquire 100% of Prisma Media, a leading publishing group in France.“This acquisition would perfectly fit with Vivendi’s strategy as a leading media, content and communications group, complementing the scope of its existing activities,” said Vivendi in a release.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItalian prosecutors have indicted Vivendi’s former chairman Vincent Bolloré and current CEO Arnaud De Puyfontaine in a probe over alleged market manipulation stemming from legal wrangling prompted by Vivendi and Mediaset‘s botched 2016 pay-TV deal.Bollore and De Puyfontaine had been placed under investigation in Milan in 2017 after Mediaset filed a suit claiming they plotted to drive down the company’s share price by premeditating to dishonor their 2016

Canal+, the pay-TV arm of French media giant Vivendi, has won its long-running court battle against Paramount Pictures and competition regulators over movie licensing in Europe. The EU Court of Justice, Europe’s highest, ruled on Wednesday in favor of Canal+, voiding an agreement struck between Paramount and European regulators in 2016.

Ubisoft has appointed Raashi Sikka as vp global diversity and inclusion. As the first person to take such a position at the French video game publisher, Sikka will design and implement inclusion strategies that promote diversity and equity amongst Ubisoft's global workforce.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe French trial for Vivendi’s shareholder securities fraud lawsuit is expected to kick off early next year. The commercial court of Paris had initially set a Dec.

Jamie Lang Javier Krause, co-founder of Argentina’s Rispo Films and long one of the country’s key sales agents, has crossed the Atlantic and started Kafilms, a new Swiss production company where he is taking the reins to create new content for international audiences, including two new Italian co-productions which Krause has announced in exclusivity with Variety.Joined by Maurizio and Manuel Tedesco of Italy’s Baires Produzioni, backers of Filmax-sold “Tomorrow’s a New Day” from Simone Spada

Papa Bouba Diop, a star of Senegal's famous World Cup campaign in 2002, has died. Diop, 42, had reportedly been battling a long-term illness. The former midfielder played for four different clubs in England, enjoying spells at Fulham, Portsmouth, West Ham and Birmingham City after impressing in France for Lens. In a Twitter statement on Sunday, Lens said: "It is with great sadness that Racing Club de Lens have just learned of the passing of their former player Papa Bouba Diop, at the age of