| overview
studio
holdings
landmarks
|
landmarks
This chronology is indicative only. It covers -
Context is provided by the broader communications and
media timeline on this site.
A more detailed chronology
of CGE, Vivendi and Vivendi Universal forms part of the
separate Vivendi profile. There is a supplementary chronology
of Polygram, Deutsche Grammophon and Decca.
antecedents
1853 Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) founded in
Paris as civil engineering and utilities company
1854 CGE supplies water to Nantes
1869 Joseph Seagram becomes partner in Waterloo distillery
(founded 1857)
1883 buys out partners in Waterloo operation, forms Joseph
Seagram & Sons
1898 Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
founded
1912 Universal Film Manufacturing Co formed in New York
by Carl Laemmle, later becomes Universal
Pictures
1918 Konsuke Matsushita founds predecessor of Matsushita
Electric Industrial
1924 Bronfman family forms Distillers Corporation Limited
in Canada
1924 Music Corporation of America (MCA) talent agency
founded
1928 Distillers Corporation merges with Seagram
1929 Decca records founded
in UK
1940 French legislation splits Agence Havas, with news
service nationalised as Office Français d'Information
(later Agence Française de Presse)
1946 Universal Pictures merges with independent production
company International Pictures to become Universal International
1949 Seagram buys Chivas Bros in UK
1952 Universal International is sold to Decca Records
1952 Seagram buys Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagne in
France
MCA swallows Universal
1957 MCA buys Paramount's pre-1948
film library for US$50m
1958 MCA buys Universal's 750 acre back lot for US$11m
1960 Dutch electronics group Philips buys Mercury records
1962 Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss form A&M Records
1962 Decca sells Universal to MCA
1963 Seagram buys Texas Pacific Coal & Oil
1972 Philips and Siemens merge recording interests as
Polygram, buy Verve records
1972 CGE constructs la Défense office complex in Paris
1975 Spielberg's Jaws marks Universal's revival
as major distributor
1978 Seagram buys Glenlivet and wine and spirits division
of Dalgety Australia
1980 Polygram buys Decca
1980 CGE buys Compagnie Generale de Chauffe, becomes largest
private energy group in France
early Seagram diversification
1980 Seagram buys 32% stake in Conoco oil group
1980 Seagram gains 24% stake in Du Pont by selling Conoco
1983 CGE and Havas media group establish Canal+ pay television
group (CGE has 15% stake)
1985 Seagram buys Continental Distillers of Australia
1985 MCA buys Chess records
1986 MCA buys 42% stake in Cineplex Odeon cinema chain
1987 Siemens sells Polygram stake to Philips
1987 MCA Universal buys license for WOR-TV from RKO
General in forced divestiture
1987 Durand buys Amphion and Eschig catalogues
1987 French government sells stake in Havas
1987 CGE establishes telephone subsidiary
1988 Seagram buys Martell cognac in France and Tropicana
fruit juice group in US
1988 CGE buys global construction group Société Générale
d'Enterprises
1989 Polygram buys A&M Records from Alpert & Moss
for US$500m
Matsushita swallows MCA
1990 Sony rival Matsushita buys
MCA for US$6.1bn
1990 MCA buys Geffen records
1992 CGE sells hospital and healthcare operations for
US$1.8bn
1992 Canal+ establishes CanalSatellite
1993 Polygram buys Motown records
1994 CGE awarded BOOT contract for Illawarra and Woronora
water plants in Australia
Seagram moves into media
1994 Seagram buys 14.5% stake in Time
Warner
1995 Seagram sells Du Pont stake, buys MCA from Matsushita
for US$5.7bn and renames it Universal Studios
1995 Seagram buys Dole global fruit juice group
1996 Seagram sells Putnam Berkley book publishing group
to Pearson for US$300m
1996 US Telecommunications Act results in billions of
dollars of broadcast properties changing hands
1996 CGE subsidiary Cegetel becomes 2nd-largest telecommunications
operator in France
1996 CGE subsidiary United Water becomes responsible for
water and wastewater in Adelaide
1996 Pathé floated on Paris
Bourse
1996 Havas corporate and leisure travel arm Havas Voyages
SA forms joint venture with American Express
1997 CGE buys Linjebuss, second largest public transportation
company in Scandinavia and 47.5% of New Zealand's United
Water
1997 Seagram buys remaining 50% of USA network from Viacom
for US$1.7bn
1997 CGE buys 30% of Havas
1997 buys NetHold, second largest pay-TV operator in Continental
Europe
Vivendi established
1998 CGE group renamed Vivendi,
buys rest of Havas
1998 Seagram buys Polygram
from Matsushita rival Philips for US$10.4bn
1998 Vivendi sells 6.5% stake in Telewest for £200m
1999 Seagram sells Mumm, Perrier-Jouët and Tropicana for
US$4bn
1999 Foster's buys Seagram Australia
1999 Vivendi sells Havas' outdoor advertising operations
to J C Decaux of France for
£652m
1999 buys 15% of Canal+ from Compagnie Financiere Richemont
1999 Vivendi and Canal+ buy 20% of Pathé
1999 sells property and construction divisions
Vivendi buys Seagram
2000 Vivendi buys Seagram for US$34bn, becomes Vivendi
Universal
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