Canal+ reportedly in talks to take Dailymotion stake

Canal+ Group is in talks with Orange to take a stake in Dailymotion, according to press reports.

According to the UK Financial Times, Canal+ has held informal talks with the French telecom giant to acquire a stake in the online video site.

Orange has been seeking partners for the site for some time, with an attempt to sell a 75% stake to Yahoo last year being abandoned after the intervention of French industry minister Arnaud Montebourg. The French state holds a 27% stake in Orange.

The involvement of Canal+ would avoid governmental objections to a sale to an international partner. According to the reports, Canal+, which recently acquired a 60% stake in online media group Studio Bagel, would likely take a minority stake in Dailymotion, enabling it to secure a distribution channel for content. A deal could also further Orange CEO Stéphane Richard’s ambition to bring more premium content to Dailymotion.

According to the Financial Times, Orange could still sell a minority stake in Dailymotion to Microsoft. The pair have reportedly been in talks since February.