Vivendi buys share in web development firm.(Webigen)(Brief Article)

EUROPEMEDIA-(C)2002 Van Dusseldorp & Partners - http://www.vandusseldorp.com/

Vivendi has officially announced that it has bought a 33 per cent share in Webigen, one of the leading web application development companies in Hungary.

Webigen also dealt in PR, advertising and call center projects, but the new Webigen has been formed with about E3m as the successor of the web division. Vivendi's Hungarian telecoms subsidiary provided the capital for the purchase.

Webigen?s remaining 67 per cent is controlled by Wallis, a group with investments in several markets, which also manages Webigen. The purchase marks Vivendi's second important step in a week toward Hungarian internet business as the French media giant also recently launched its own portal.

Webigen is also in talks with Index.hu, the country?s second most visited internet portal, about a future strategic cooperation and it did not deny a possible acquisition. Index.hu has been seeking investors for months and has been paired with several big telecoms and media companies before. ((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))