Media titan Vivendi has put an offer on the table to take over video hosting website Dailymotion. Terms of the offer weren't made public although various reports circulating online value the offer at nearly $272 million.
Dailymotion has been the target of numerous takeover bids but up to this point, nothing has materialized. Yahoo was courting the company in early 2013 but bailed on the deal due to opposition from the French government. The latest casualty is Hong Kong Telecoms group PCCW which withdrew its offer yesterday for the same reason.
Microsoft's name was thrown around as a potential partner in 2014 but again, nothing ever came of it.
Dailymotion is owned by French multinational telecommunications corporation Orange. As reported following the failed Yahoo takeover, the French government isn't exactly hip to the idea of losing control of one of the biggest Internet successes.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the French government said last week that it wouldn't necessarily block a sale to PCCW but urged Orange to find a European partner. The government owns a quarter of Orange which means it has quite a bit of say-so in what the telecom does.
Vivendi could be a good fit for Dailymotion. Being a French company would appease the government and the sale of several of its assets means it has plenty of money in the bank.