Viacom is considering a bid for the US entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal, according to reports today.
Sumner Redstone, the chairman of Viacom, is understood to have met Vivendi’s chief executive Jean-René Fourtou to discuss a possible bid for the US entertainment businesses. This will put the corporation in direct competition with the oil billionaire Marvin Davis who has already tabled a Â15 billion offer for the assets (see Davis Makes New Offer For VUE).
Other potential suitors include Liberty Media, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, News Corp and General Electric’s NBC but it is reported that Barry Diller, who heads up Vivendi’s US operations, is distancing himself from the bidding process and plans to step down in May.