Canal+ gains control of MultiChoice, expanding its reach across Africa

Canal+ has taken effective control of South African television and streaming company MultiChoice, marking the French media giant’s biggest acquisition and a big step in its plans to become the leading pan-African pay-TV operator.

The acquisition of control of MultiChoice, which already operates in 50 African countries, means the group will now be present in nearly 70 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia.

“Today marks an important step for Canal+, as we begin to integrate MultiChoice to create a group with enhanced scale, reach, and creativity,” said Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada in a statement. The deal was first announced in March 2024, but many regulatory hurdles needed to be crossed.

The companies said in a joint statement that the combined group will have a workforce of 17 000 employees and serve more than 40 million subscribers. There was no change to MultiChoice billing arrangements and subscriptions from the transaction.

As of the close of business on September 19, 2025, Canal+ owned 46% of the shares of MultiChoice, 2.2% more shares had been tendered as acceptances of their offer, and the shareholding will increase further if more shares are tendered, a statement from MultiChoice said.

"We will be able to leverage the diverse talent which sits throughout the group to bring to life compelling local and international stories, both from our in-house production studio STUDIOCANAL and global platforms, and the best national and global sports, all on a world-leading platform,” said Saada.

In South Africa, Canal+ and MultiChoice have also committed to a package of public interest measures, including supporting firms controlled by historically disadvantaged persons and small and medium-sized businesses in the audio-visual sector, as well as maintaining funding for local general entertainment and sports content produced by South African content creators.

Canal+, which is already the sector's leader in French-speaking African countries, now controls what it described as the leader in the continent's English- and Portuguese-speaking regions.

"This acquisition allows us to strengthen our position as a leader in Africa, one of the most dynamic pay-TV markets in the world," Saada said in the statement.

“The buyout was given a final green light by South Africa's competition authority in late July, more than a year after Canal+ launched its bid.

Canal+ offered R125 per share for MultiChoice when it launched its offer last year, valuing the South African firm at around R55 billion (at the time the deal was announced).

Canal+ is present in 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries and has 8 million subscribers. MultiChoice operates in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and has 14.5 million subscribers.

It includes Africa's premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport, and the DStv satellite television service.

MultiChoice’s board had been reconstituted and going forward, a new director, David Mignot, will become CEO of the Canal+'s Africa operations, which includes MultiChoice, while new director Nicola Dandoy will become chief financial officer of Africa operations.

The operations across Africa will be chaired by Calvo Mawela, the outgoing CEO of MultiChoice. The outgoing chief financial officer of MutliChoice, Timothy Jacobs, will continue to hold a senior position in the finance department of the combined group.

In addition, a MultiChoice shareholder meeting will be convened in the coming weeks to vote on proposals to elect Anant Singh as an independent non-executive director, Amandine Ferre as executive director, and Mireille Kabamba as a non-executive director of MultiChoice.

“Together, we will harness digital innovation, from streamlining and mobile platforms to advanced distributions, to expand access, enhance experiences, and bring compelling programming to more homes, while giving Africa a stronger voice on the world stage,” said Mignot.

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