(Telecompaper) The board of Telecom Italia (TIM) has given the go-ahead to the creation of a broadcasting joint venture with Vivendi's pay-TV channel Canal Plus. The main aim of the joint venture is to design and implement the premium video content offer that TIM will offer its customers to speed up the development of fibre connectivity, said the operator in a statement. TIM's leading shareholder Vivendi has frequently stated that it's looking to use its stake to create a southern European media empire and the move is "an important step forward in the strategy of convergence between telecommunications and media", said TIM's new CEO Amos Genish.