All posts in France Telecom
Did the French government put the breaks on the Dailymotion – Yahoo deal?
As was widely reported last month, Yahoo had supposedly been in ongoing talks with Orange to take a majority stake of 75% in Dailymotion, the 31st ranked site globally. However, now comes the news from Le Monde that the talks have abruptly come to an end. It’s well-known that Orange had been searching for a […]
S&P highlights French mobile operator troubles, takes France Telecom down a grade
Citing concerns about mobile pricing pressure in the French market and an anticipated big drop in France Telecom / Orange’s earnings, S&P has decided to follow Fitch’s lead and cut France Telecom’s debt rating to BBB+, the third lowest investment grade. This cut puts France Telecom somewhere in the middle of the European telco pack […]
Yahoo reportedly in discussions with Orange to buy big stake in Dailymotion
Yahoo is reportedly in talks with Orange to buy what could potentially be a big stake in Dailymotion. According to sources familiar with the discussions, Dailymotion may be valued at as much as $300 million and Yahoo could ultimately buy up to 75% of the French online video site This move by Yahoo would help […]
The Two Faces of Orange: Innovator & Startup Killer
A few weeks back, Orange made a few big announcements, most of which put them in the ‘oh shit’ category, instead of the ‘startup killer’ category. The ‘oh shit’ title came from their launch of Libon, a cross-platform phone-calling, texting, and communication app that runs off of the 3G network – theoretically, this app is […]
The Mobile Operator Cluster Fuck – The Saga Continues
It seems like the four major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can’t stay out of the news these days, as Challenges reported yesterday that Bouygues Telecom (3rd largest operator in France) is suing Iliad ( parent company of Free Mobile, the 4th largest mobile operator in France, launched earlier this year) for €100 Million for an […]
Deezer raises €100M from Warner Music owner Len Blavatnik
Deezer has finalized a round of €100 million by Russian-American billionaire Len Blavatnik via his investment fund Access Industries, with 75 million euros injected into the company, and 25 million euros to buy out previous shareholders. The announcement, originally reported by Le Figaro, indicates that while French investor Idinvest has maintained its stake in the company, Dotcorp […]
Digital Media Hub Awards Nominees Announced!
Roll out the red carpet for the Digital Media Hub Awards 2012! HUBFORUM, partnered with FrenchWeb.fr, will hold an awards ceremony in Espace Cardin on October 11-12 to honor the the most influential digital personality of the year, start-up of the year, and digital marketing and communications book of the year. Expecting 600 guests in attendance, […]
Did Free even pierce Orange's peel?
When Xavier Niel announced the launch of Free Mobile about six weeks ago, he invited not only comparisons to Steve Jobs but also the attention of the global tech world. Free’s approach to the French market — to build a mobile network on the back on its substantial consumer wifi network — is certainly unique, […]
A mini wave of French acquisitions?
A while ago, I published an article titled “I’m sorry, did you think French companies don’t acquire?” Despite the fact that France lacks a company with an aggressive acquisition strategy comparable to that of Google, there ARE companies that acquire. At the time, my list was oriented towards larger companies – like Ubisoft, France Telecom […]
I'm sorry, did you think French companies don't acquire?
It's true. French companies don't have the same acquisition culture as some of the American tech darlings, like Google or Facebook. And it definitely doesn't help the local exit market. French and other European companies often look across the Atlantic when it comes time to go public or get acquired.But just because there are more exit opportunities elsewhere doesn't mean there are none at home.