Brief Company History

Vivendi Universal began as a water utility company out of France and grew into the 3rd largest (on a global scale) media corporation. Dubbed Compagnie Générale des Eaux in 1853, almost as soon as it started, the company grew into globalization, providing civil services such as waste management, transport, energy, construction, property development and management, and communications. In 1983, the company made the jump to media when it joined the Havas' media group, which established the Canal+ pay television group. The company was renamed Vivendi in 1998.

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