Pathe stake sold

THE FRENCH conglomerate Vivendi and its pay-TV unit Canal Plus have bought a 20 per cent stake in Pathe from investor Vincent Bollore for 443m euros (pounds 310m), quelling speculation of a takeover battle for France's biggest film distributor and leaving Mr Bollore with a Fr800m profit on the sale.

Canal Plus and Vivendi now own almost 25 per cent of Pathe, just behind Pathe's chief executive Jerome Seydoux and his family.