Arnaud De puyfontaine

Chairman of the Management Board & CEO, Vivendi

Search every verified Arnaud De puyfontaine interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Vivendi, has continued to articulate the group’s strategy of consolidation and convergence in the media and entertainment sector. In a July 2025 interview, he discussed the role of large digital platforms, stating that 80% of the advertising market has been absorbed by Google and Meta, which he described as a fact with consequences for media financing. He also addressed perceptions of bias in media, saying that the group’s position is to try to rebalance the debate. In 2023, he defended Vivendi’s acquisition of Lagardère, describing it as an economic and entrepreneurial project, while acknowledging that the group had to sell assets such as Gala and Editis to satisfy European competition concerns. He characterized the deal as making the group a “first-quality group” with 53 publishing houses. De Puyfontaine has also emphasized Vivendi’s focus on content quality and paid models. In a 2016 interview, he stated he is a “true believer in paid content,” arguing that “if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.” He has described Vivendi’s transformation from a holding company to an operating company, aiming to make the group “much greater than the sum of its parts.” In 2017, he dismissed speculation about his role at Telecom Italia as “completely disconnected from reality” and affirmed Vivendi’s respect for regulations. He has also spoken about the need for media groups to control their own destiny in relation to digital platforms, warning that relying solely on platforms like YouTube or Google risks becoming “slaves.”