Vincent Bollore.Getty Images
Vincent Bollore is no stranger to controversy. Described by Bloomberg as “France's Rupert Murdoch” who is “building his own right-wing media empire”, he has been implicated in at least one corruption scandal in West Africa.
Bolloré, a successful businessman, has spent his money buying media companies. His family company, the Bollore Group, owns a controlling stake in Vivendi, which owns France's leading television station Canal+.
It is the largest satellite television provider in French-speaking Africa. And the company wants to acquire South Africa-based MultiChoice, another major provider on the continent, which owns prominent brands such as DStv, SuperSport and Showmax.
This de facto monopoly could give the group and the Bolloré family extraordinary influence over what does and does not appear on Africa's approximately 30 million TV screens.
“A real danger to both press freedom and democracy.”
Journalism advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is “systematically suing journalists investigating his business dealings,” citing a “Bolloré system” when it comes to how the billionaire's media assets are managed. It is said that there is something like.
Although the 72-year-old officially retired in 2022, an investigation by Le Monde found that he “in fact continues to control everything, including the media.”
The clearest example of the “Bolloré system” is the recent history of the French television channel now CNews, owned by Canal+.
In an investigation, Nieman Reports, a media watchdog based at Harvard University, revealed how the news there was often replaced with extremist opinions, creating what it called the “Fox News of France.” tracked.
The opinion “routinely makes derogatory statements about immigrants and calls on Muslims to renounce their faith” and contributes to the “mainstreaming of the far-right idea that immigrants will overtake French citizens.” .
Operation Stop Bolloré, a coalition of dozens of prominent French journalists, academics and activists, says this ideological position is reflected across the media empire and is “unprecedented in our country's history.” It claims to be a thing.
The group said in a statement in 2022: [CNews] It becomes a platform for hate, racism, homophobia, sexist speech, encouragement of identity entrepreneurs, incitement to violence, trivialization of conspiracies, and climate change denialism. ”
In a 2021 documentary, RSF described Bolloré's approach as a “real danger to both press freedom and democracy.”
broader controversy
The Bollore Group controversy is not limited to France or the media. West Africa has been accused of violating journalistic ethics on at least two occasions in favor of incumbent leaders.
Most recently, in December, “Canal+ quickly cut off the signal on three critical channels.” [junta leader] It was extracted from the offering by Mamadi Doumbouya at the request of the Guinean authorities,” Africa Report said.
Another controversy was reported by RSF in 2021. This is an example of how Mr. Bollore allegedly influenced media properties to further his own business interests.
“Mr Bolloré, who has many business interests in Togo, asked Canal Plus to include an exaggerated article about Togo and its president in its current affairs program as if it were normal journalistic reporting. ” the paper said.
Mr. Bolloré is currently on trial in France, where prosecutors have accused him and two other Bolloré Group officials of bribing Togo's President Faure Nyasambe to obtain a license to operate a lucrative port. There is.
The three have denied all wrongdoing (although they had previously pleaded guilty in a previous settlement, but France ruled that the charges were too serious to resolve outside of court and could undermine Togo's sovereignty). (dismissed by the judge).
Representatives for Vivendi and Canal+ rejected concerns that the proposed deal could threaten press freedom and democracy in Africa, saying MultiChoice is not a news generator.
Vivendi also said it owns a large number of media outlets around the world, covering a variety of genres and views. As for Bollore's influence, they told The Continent that Bolloré appeared before a French parliamentary committee earlier this year and that Bolloré said he had “no ideological project” and that he was a Christian Democrat. It was reported that he said that he thought he had a “very gentle and good personality.”
A spokesperson for Bollore Group could not be reached for comment.
South Africa's Competition Commission is currently considering a takeover proposal that values MultiChoice at $2.9 billion. Vivendi argues that the merger is necessary because the nature of broadcasting is changing. That's because it has to compete not only with satellite TV operators, but also with streaming giants Netflix and Disney+.