The World: Orange ready to inject 40 million
Thursday at the conference NPA-Le Figaro, Stéphane Richard, CEO of France Telecom, has not minced his words. "We're not a patron. On The World, we take a look industrial. "What interests telecom operator, is essentially The World Interactive, the joint venture group Le Monde and Lagardere. Orange would bring his digital expertise. The objective is to achieve the same "marriage" of advertising agencies news sites. Stéphane Richard praised the merits of a merger between Orangeactu and Lemonde.fr, respectively second and third information sites in France. However, the advertising of the World Interactive, called iRégie.com is a subsidiary of World Economy Advertising, itself owned 51% by Le Monde, against 49% of Publicis.
"To play a marginal role"
Problem.If Orange wants to play a role in Le Monde Interactive and its governance, it will have to redeem the minority shares of two words: Lagardère and Publicis. But Lagardere has made it clear he was not a seller 's best payday advance. So, to achieve his ends, Orange must accept an interest in the whole group Le Monde newspaper and the Web. Orange is ready "if necessary, to play a marginal role in the round table" investing "nearly 40 million" on the side of takeover candidates, whoever they are.
The last candidate to have filed a date préoffre is the group Le Nouvel Observateur. His boss, Claude Perdriel, would invest 80 million euros alongside a partner. In front, he will find the offer of the trio Pigasse-Niel-Bergé.All this agitation on the part of candidates has been at the center of the ordinary and extraordinary general meeting of the Society of Editors of the World (MRS) held in the afternoon on Thursday. The next meeting should be convened on June 25, time to get a clearer picture on the submission of applications.
Time is running out, because the world must find the money before July 15. Otherwise, it may be insolvent.