Canal+

Vivendi to shut down Studio+

Vivendi is to shut down Studio+, the mobile-focused short-form content platform it launched with much fanfare two years ago. French media news site Télérama reported last week that Studio+ subscribers had been informed by email that the service will close in two months. Studio+ had provided short-form series comprising 10-minute episodes aimed at a youthful […]

French regulations responsible for CanalPlay collapse, says Saada

Restrictive rules governing the distribution of content will kill off French fiction in the international market if they remain unchanged, according to Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada, who has blamed France’s competition regulator for a disastrous fall in subscriber numbers at the pay TV operator’s SVOD service CanalPlay. Saada, addressing a French senate committee last week, […]

Canal+ France chief takes sideswipe at Salto plan

Canal+ France chief Franck Cadoret has said he is “sceptical” about the prospects of the planned OTT TV joint venture between public broadcaster France Télévisions and commercial broadcasters TF1 and M6. Speaking at an awards event organised by NPA, Cadoret was quoted by financial daily Les Echos as saying he was sceptical about the prospects […]

Apple orders English-language version of Canal+ series

Apple has ordered an English language adaptation of Canal+ French series Calls, which will be co-produced by the network. The 10-episode straight-to-series order marks the first international series greenlit by the tech company. It also makes its first international co-production. As part of the deal, Apple has also acquired the rights to the existing French series. […]

Canal+ and BeIN Sports team up for World Cup in 4K UHD

Canal+ and BeIN Sports have teamed up to launch the BeIN Sports 1 4K channel in France, providing 4K UHD coverage of the FIFA World Cup from Russia. The channel will be available for the duration of the tournament, from June 14 until July 15, offering coverage of 56 matches, including the matches of the […]

Charter becomes latest operator to use Apple TV 4K as set-top

Apple announced a number of Apple TV updates and a partnership to supply the device to US cable operator Charter Communications at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday. Apple used the event to preview tvOS 12, the latest version of the Apple TV operating system. This will support Dolby Atmos, making Apple TV 4K the […]

Mediapro outlines plans in wake of French football coup

Folllowing its surprise win of rights to top-tier French football earlier this week, Spanish broadcaster Mediapro has outlined plans to launch a dedicated football channel and has stated that it is open to striking deals with third-party operators, including current rightsholder Canal+. The French professional football league (LFP) secured a record €1.15 billion per season […]

Altice France unveils RMC Sport offering

While Canal+ struggles to handle the fallout from its loss of Ligue 1 rights to Spain’s Mediapro, rival service provider Altice France has unveiled its revamped RMC Sport offering, which will carry the group’s flagship sports content, UEFA Champions League and Europa League football. The RMC Sport service, which will comprise five channels, will debut […]

Canal+ loses Ligue 1 football to Mediapro in major upset

In a major blow to pay TV leader Canal+ Spanish broadcasters and producer Mediapro has secured the bulk of the rights to French Ligue 1 football for the 2020-24 period. The results of the auction of rights by French professional football league, the LFP, came as a surprise to observers. The LFP secured a record […]

Canal+ launching new low-cost offering to target under-26s

Canal+ is to launch a new low-cost offering aimed at under-26 year-olds as part of its drive to encourage younger people to subscribe to the pay TV service. Subscribers under 26 years old will be able to subscribe to Canal+ for €9.95 in place of the usual charge of €19.90, with no ongoing monthly contract. […]