Vivendi again tries bidders' patience.

Byline: Peter Lauria

The long-running auction for the Hollywood assets of Vivendi Universal SA will run a little longer, as the French conglomerate's board said after a meeting Tuesday that it would pursue "further negotiations with the two strongest bidders."

The two strongest bidders -- General Electric Co.'s NBC and a consortium headed by Seagram's scion Edgar Bronfman Jr. -- also happen to be the only two bidders left in the auction that began in earnest late last year. And, if Vivendi isn't careful, NBC and Bronfman may join Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., Comcast Corp. and Liberty Media Corp. in foresaking the assets both so clearly covet.

"It makes …