SFR

How Libération's multi-billionaire owner bills the ailing daily for 'services'

France — Analysis

Much of the French media is owned by billionaire industrialists and businessmen with financial interests that sit uncomfortably with the notion of freedom and pluralism of the press, while some argue that without such wealthy proprietors many titles would fold. One case in point is France’s venerable leftwing daily Libération, co-founded in 1973 by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and now owned by multi-billionaire Patrick Drahi who made his fortune in telecommunications. Laurent Mauduit has been studying the struggling newspaper’s financial accounts, and details here how Drahi last year billed it for 1.8 million euros for “services” by his group, which notably included “restructuring”, further aggravating its vast debts offset in part by public subsidies.

French telecoms group SFR pays the price of reverse-charges takeover

France — Analysis

French telecoms operator SFR, which was acquired by the holding company of Swiss-based businessman Patrick Drahi in 2014, is losing subscribers to its mobile- and internet-based services by the hundreds of thousands. The haemorrhage threatens the future of the group, already struggling with heavy debts amid one of the toughest telecoms markets in Europe. Martine Orange analyses the cost-cutting, service-reducing strategy employed by Drahi, a champion of the technique of leveraged buyouts.

French mobile and internet operator SFR 'to cut 5,000 jobs'

France — Link

Union sources said they were informed by the company, taken over by Patrick Drahi in 2014, that a third of its workforce in France will be cut by 2019. 

Bouygues shuns Altice's bid for telecom arm

France — Link

Bouygues Telecom board rejects €10 billion offer from rival saying it is well-placed to benefit from new period of growth in telecoms market.

French premier warns on Altice bid to buy Bouygues Telecom

France — Link

Manuel Valls says plan by owners of Numericable-SFR to buy rivals Bouygues for €10 billion must preserve jobs and network investments.

France's Numericable SFR makes fresh bid for Bouygues Telecom

France — Link

Move by Patrick Drahi, owner of Numericable-SFR, to buy rival Bouygues Telecom for 10 billion euros is set to provoke controversy.

French mobile phone operator SFR hit by network outage

France — Link

About four million SFR clients lost their connections over several hours on Thursday, caused by the malfunction of a 'home location register'.

Orange rules out French telecoms consolidation deals

France — Link

Decision casts doubts over immediate prospect of reducing number of competitors in the French market in bid to end a bitter two-year price war.

France's Orange 'studying plans' to buy rival Bouygues Telecom

France — Link

The former France Telecom's move comes as French ministers encourage 'consolidation' in telecom industry from four to three major players.

Vivendi's SFR sold to Numericable

France — Link

After a month-long fierce bidding war against Bouygues, Numericable buys Vivendi's telecoms subsidiary SFR for 13.5 billion euros.

French telecoms wars not over yet

France — Link

Head of French public-sector investment body says he would be prepared to back Bouygues in tussle for control of mobile phone firm SFR.

Vivendi picks Numericable for exclusive talks on SFR

France — Link

Move is blow to telecoms firm Bouygues who had also bid for its mobile phone rival, an option also backed by industry minister Arnaud Montebourg.

SFR buyout threatens to shake up French telecom market

France — Link

Some observers suggest that the return to just three main mobile phone operators will reduce competition and be bad news for French consumers.

Bouygues ready to sell mobile network in SFR bid

France — Link

Bouygues Telecom's offer to sell its mobile network to Iliad, owner of Free, is dependent upon regulators approving its bid for Vivendi's SFR.

Vivendi confirms bids for its telecoms arm SFR

France — Link

If accepted, Bouygues' offer for SFR would reduce the number of players in France’s ferociously competitive mobile market from four to three.