Canal + Group (France) has announced a number of outstanding agreements with international players since the beginning of 2022. Some are focused on the domestic TV market while others are aimed at reinforcing the company’s presence in the global marketplace.
Canal + Group and Paramount confirmed a strategic partnership, which included the distribution of nine Pay-TV channels, Paramount Pictures movies six months after theatrical release and Showtime series in France. Paramount has been expanding its streaming offer in the European country, first with the launch of AVOD Pluto TV at the beginning of 2021 and now, via this partnership, for its SVOD Paramount+ that is available through CANAL+ Ciné Séries.
The group’s subscribers can access Showtime content, Paramount Pictures’s blockbuster movies, Nickelodeon’s characters, MTV, CBS Studios and the full original line up, including The Offer, a limited event series about the making of the legendary film The Godfather; and The Man Who Fell to Earth, a one-hour drama with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris. Also, The First Lady, a scripted anthology series starring Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson; Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, the musical series, takes place four years before the original film Grease; and Fatal Attraction starring Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson.
CANAL+ Group channels will air Paramount Pictures films six months after theatrical release, in line with new French media chronology regulations. In 2022, subscribers will be able to watch Top Gun Maverick and Scream on its owned channels, followed by their debut on Paramount+ in France. Selected Showtime series will also premier, starting in 2022 with Yellowjackets, Super Pumped and Your Honor 2, as well as Halo with CANAL+ being the special partner event ahead of the service’s launch later in 2022.
Maxime Saada, Chairman and CEO of CANAL+ Group, said: ‘This partnership with ViacomCBS, which include content and brands that have marked, and continue to mark, generations, is a new demonstration of CANAL+ Group’s ability to team up with the most influential global players in the content industry’.
‘It strengthens our businesses, both as an aggregator, via the distribution of Paramount+ and the group’s channels, and as a publisher, by securing long-term exclusive access to Paramount Pictures movies and select SHOWTIME series for our CANAL+ channels. This acclaimed ViacomCBS content will strengthen CANAL+ Group’s unique cinema and series offering that is available in more than 30 countries around the world’, he completed.
The French group is also expanding its footprint internationally with two main announcements. First, it launched a streaming service and a linear TV channel last month in Austria. With films and series from Europe, the company wants to create an alternative to the US players, as Philipp Böchheimer, managing director of Canal+ Austria, stressed. Austrian original productions are also planned, including a music and culture show and a news program.
The streaming service offers exclusive content from Studiocanal, Kinowelt TV, Filmtastic and StarzPlay, among others, for €8.99 per month. Up to three simultaneous streams on five devices in Full HD quality will be possible. The Canal+ app will be available for iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and all major smart TV brands. The service will also be accessible directly via the browser at canalplus.at.
The linear TV channel Canal+ First shows European series, documentaries and movies, international blockbusters and Austrian original productions. Initially, the channel will be distributed on streaming service A1 Xplore TV and on TV platform HD Austria, with other network operators and platforms to follow shortly.
Böchheimer commented: ‘We offer an Austrian channel with content specifically for the Austrian market. We continuously tailor our content to the needs of the domestic audience and can additionally draw from Canal+’s worldwide pool of exclusive content’.
The joint venture Canal+ Austria is owned by Canal+ (51%), a subsidiary of French media group Vivendi, and Austrian telco A1 Telekom Austria (49%). In August 2021, the plans for the joint activities in Austria became known. In September 2021, the partners provided the first details.
On the other hand, CANAL+ Group completed the acquisition of 70% of SPI International, following the approvals of all competent authorities in all European jurisdictions concerned. This news will give the French group great opportunities to strengthen Pay TV offers in all European markets and develop new ranges of services for the benefit of customers worldwide.
