Between Mediaset and Vivendi signs of relaxing: retreat the first cause – the Newspaper

the Mediaset waiver of appeal of urgency, expected on the 23rd of November, for the seizure of the shares of Vivendi, equal to 3.5%, which were an integral part of the agreement between the two companies for the supply of pay tv Premium. In the official press release Mediaset states that the documentation produced by Vivendi with the Court for the cause demonstrates that the French company has several shares, sufficient, therefore, to reassure Mediaset and making superfluous the use of urgency for the interim measure.

All good then? Not really seen that the company, led by Pier Silvio Berlusconi has no intention to withdraw the bulk of the case filed in court. That is, one of the merits brought in order to obtain full compensation for the failure to reach an agreement on the Premium. “The case continues, he explained, Mediaset, according to the schedule envisaged.” And then to have the news we will have to wait until the 21st of march, the date of the first hearing of the case on the merits. In reality, it seems that between the two companies is succeeded by a phase of relaxation of relations, perhaps in preparation for a transaction that satisfies both parties. In this sense one must read the signal of yesterday, beyond the technicalities and the “legalese” of the releases. Also to this, therefore, the appointment in court is not needed anymore.

In the meantime, Mediaset aims to find the quadra for its pay tv, that in the next primvamera will have to participate in the auction for the rights to the Champions league and the matches of the Italian football league. As the battle with Vivendi, until two days ago the road seemed to be marked. Also the financial director of the Italian society, Marco Giordani, said that it was “from the 25th of July that we have no more contact with Vivendi, and it is for this reason that the next appointment of the court of 23 November will be very important.”

Now that meeting is no longer necessary because there are signs of a possible opening and relaxing of relationships to find an amicable solution. Maybe Vivendi has understood that an account is likely to pay in the end might become very high price: in addition to the 1.5 billion of damage, even 50 million per month to date from 25 July, when the French have done an about-turn on the purchase of 100% of the Premium.

To make matters worse, there are also the requests of the parent company Fininvest that has asked the French 570 million in damage.

Also in the background, the second recurrent voices, could also reopen the negotiation with Sky. The contacts are initiated and may result in an actual negotiation.

The group headed by Rupert Murdoch, therefore, could acquire the Premium pay tv, where the legal dispute between the car company and Vivendi would end up with an agreement on extra-judicial the next year. Antitrust allowing.