Canal+ launches new sports channels for Africa

Pay TV operator Canal+ is ramping up its offer for Africa with the launch of four dedicated sport channels.

The four channels, Canal+ Sport 1, Sport 2, Sport 3 and Sport 4, will benefit from new rights acquisitions across a range of sports, according to the pay TV outfit.

Content will include UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League football along with Ligue 1 French football, the English Premier League, the Euro 2016 championship and the Copa America in its centenary year of 2016.

The channels will also offer NBA and Eurobasket basketball, IAAF Diamond League athletics, Top 14 French rugby, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and ATP Masters 1000 and 500 tennis, European Tour and Masters golf and Formula 1 motor racing.

Magazine programmes on the channels will include Canal Football Club, Canal Champions Club and Talents d’Afrique.

Canal+ said it was also reinforcing the African-focused content on the version of Canal+, Canal+ Cinema, Canal+ Series and Canal+ Family distributed in Africa.

The operator is adding 600 new films each year including European and US blockbusters, comedies, adventure films and world cinema, with a focus on African cinema. Les Chaînes Canal+ will see the addition of five new series each month, and Canal+ will add Reussite, the first magazine show dedicated to African economy and development, to its raft including Le Petit Journal and L’Effet Papillon.

The latest additions to the pay TV platform for Africa follow the addition in March of 25 new channels to Les Bouquets Canal+ including Novelas TV, Edan and Gulli Africa.