Viv U haute Couture
Appointment to get StudioCanal in line with new French regs
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Couture, who himself replaced ousted topper Pierre Lescure at Canal Plus in April, was discreetly voted in during a board meeting late last week. However, Lenormand remains CEO.
A spokesman on Tuesday said Couture's appointment was a technicality to bring StudioCanal into line with new French regulations on business management and had "no effect on the day-to-day running of the company."
However industry observers believe Couture is preparing an exit -- just in case the ax should fall. As an appointee of Messier, the former TF1 exec looked vulnerable when Jean-Rene Fourtou took over as Viv U topper this summer.
Managerial skills cited
But unlike other execs from the Messier era, he has held on to his job. At Viv U's big news conference last week, Fourtou said he had been " won over" by Couture's managerial skills.
Cynics say part of Couture's appeal lies in his readiness to sideline Messier-appointed colleagues in order to make room for Fourtou's men. The new arrivals include Canal Plus group chief operating officer Bertrand Meheut, a former agrochemicals exec from Fourtou's days at pharmaceuticals giant Aventis.
Meanwhile, Couture's appointment at StudioCanal adds to the confusion about Viv U's designs for the Euro film unit. Former managing director Brahim Chioua and Wild Bunch topper Vincent Maraval -- both key execs in France -- recently ankled to form their own sales and acquisitions company.
And in another upheaval earlier this week, StudioCanal announced it was severing ties with financially strapped Gallic distributor Jean Labadie.
"Everyone's so busy trying to work out who's in and who's out that no one's thinking about the business of making films," commented one insider Tuesday.
