The CanalPlus Group has reported first a quarter operating income of Euros 74m for 2004- a Euros 29m improvement on the first quarter of 2003. Figures were releasedThursday by parent company Vivendi Universal.

Canal Pluswas a strong presence at Cannes this year with a blowout bash in a secludedvilla and broadcasting a live TV show from the Croisette every nightreminiscent of the group's heyday when the set of flagship show Nulle Part Ailleurs was a fixture on theMartinez beach.

StudioCanaltriumphed in competition with Agnes Jaoui's LookAt Me which took the Palme d'Or for best script and enjoyed healthy sales.

Althoughthe company's greenlight policy has been murky of late, managing directorFrederich Sichler recently told Screen that several projects would be announcedshortly and that executives would soon sit down with their counterparts atWorking Title to hammer out what films they will collaborate on in the nextyear.