Vivendi selling Marco Telecom

VIVA VIVENDI: French firm Vivendi, owner of Univeral Music Group, has come to terms in the sale of a big telecom asset, part of its ongoing campaign to solidify its business around music and pay TV. To that end, it will tender its 53% stake in Maroc Telecom to Etisalat in the United Arab Emirates for $5.7 billion. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and will likely be wrapped up next year. Last month saw the Paris conglom sell its majority stake in game publisher Activision for $8.2 billion, and it recently obtained the portion of cable TV giant Canal Plus it didn't already own. Although Vivendi stock dipped slightly in the aftermath of the Maroc sale, analysts have applauded the company's increased media focus. In a related story, a man at a cafe in the fourth arrondisement sipped a cafe au lait, puffed on a Gauloise and reflected on life's grand comedy. (11/5a)