French film and TV stars have joined a mass protest outside the Paris headquarters of media group Vivendi Universal, following the sacking of the Canal Plus boss, Pierre Lescure.

Actor Gerard Depardieu and Eurotrash host Antoine de Caunes, a powerful media figure in France, joined Canal Plus staff in a 2,000-strong demonstration at the offices near the Arc de Triomphe this afternoon to call for the dismissal of Jean-Marie Messier, the chief executive of Vivendi.

The demonstration came as Vivendi issued a strongly worded statement, which said drastic measures were needed to turn around Canal Plus and announced there would be no more "blank cheque" solutions for the loss-making pay TV company.

Mr Lescure was greeted with cheers when he arrived at the company's Paris headquarters to attend an emergency board meeting called to ratify the decision to appoint Xavier Couture as his replacement.

He was given a second standing ovation and escorted to a side door by crowds shouting slogans of support and calling for Mr Messier to go.

But in a statement issued this afternoon, Vivendi Universal said the Canal Plus board had voted to ratify Mr Lescure's dismissal.

"The departure of Pierre Lescure as president of the Canal Plus group is in no way personal and is motivated solely by economic considerations," the company said.

And it condemned Mr Lescure's impromptu TV appearance on Tuesday, when he joined Canal Plus staff in hijacking the airwaves and delivered a rousing speech to staff live on air.

"It is extremely shocking that the president of a TV company should decide to use the station to his own ends during a live broadcast in which viewers were urged to cancel their subscriptions," it said.

Today Mr Lescure appeared to perform a u-turn when he urged Canal Plus's 4.6 million viewers not to cancel their subscriptions or boycott programmes because it would be counterproductive for the company.

He was joined outside Vivendi's headquarters by actors Carole Bouquet and Isabelle Adjani as well as the Green Party's presidential candidate, Noel Mamere, who condemned the decision to sack Mr Lescure.

"He [Mr Messier] has failed in his efforts to expand his empire and he is making Canal Plus pay," Mr Mamere told the AFP news agency.

"He is trying to save himself by sacrificing Mr Lescure."