We missed this last week: French media and tech conglom Lagardere has restructured its its Hachette Filipacchi Medias division and has appointed the former head of Orange France, Didier Quillot, as the head of a newly created unit made up of its magazine, Internet and TV operations. Quillot will run both HFM and Lagardere Active, its radio and TV arm.
The change came after the group posted a 5.4 percent rise in half-year earnings…the increase came mainly from its books, Internet and TV businesses that helped make up for weakness at its magazine arm.
FT: Lagardere added that the group was considering making acquisitions in the magazine and internet sectors in the US.
In a related story, CEO Arnaud Lagardere said he sees traditional daily newspapers having little future, with another 10 years before production costs become untenable, while electronic papers will take hold as the internet becomes more widespread and downloads are faster.
Related: Lagardere May Spend $5 Billion on M&A; Digital Media Unlikely