Vivendi appeals against Italian watchdog probe into Mediaset, TIM stakes : Sources

MILAN: Vivendi has appealed against a decision by an Italian watchdog to carry out an inquiry into the French media giant’s stakes in broadcaster Mediaset and in the country’s biggest phone group Telecom Italia (TIM), three legal sources said on Friday.

As a result of the investigation Italy’s communication watchdog AGCOM could impose curbs on Vivendi’s interests in the country’s media and telecom sectors, potentially helping Mediaset in its battle against the French media giant.

Mediaset, controlled by the family of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Vivendi have been at loggerheads since 2016 when the French group ditched an accord to buy Mediaset’s pay-TV unit and built a 29% stake in the company, a move the Italian broadcaster considers hostile.