Universal, StudioCanal to Team on Production

Universal Pictures and Paris-based StudioCanal are combining to create a worldwide television and movie production and distribution operation.

Vivendi Universal officials say the merger will give the company a broader spectrum of movie offerings. The move is an outgrowth of Vivendi’s $40-billion acquisitions of Seagram Co. and most of CanalPlus, the parent company of StudioCanal, in December 2000.

Universal has collaborated with StudioCanal on several projects, including the recent “Bridget Jones’s Diary.”

The new organization will be managed by Ron Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios. Studio Canal’s U.S. team, which is based in Beverly Hills, will move to the Universal City lot to create an independent production division.

No significant job cuts are planned, a Universal spokeswoman said.