Canal+ has launched TV+, an aggregated streaming offering grouping live TV, catch-up and a selection of Canal+ on-demand content in one place – but not Canal+’s premium pay TV offering.
TV+ is currently the second player in France with this business strategy, just behind Fubo-owned aggregation platform Molotov, targeted at consumers who do not receive TV via an ISP box.
According to the pay TV operator, it provides a way of aggregating free-to-air and some Canal+ content via a single point of entry, simplifying the life of users and in line the operator’s strategy of becoming a content aggregator in its own right.
Canal+, through its own service, now becomes a global aggregator streaming content from the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV+ and – soon to follow – MAX from Warner Bros. Discovery, which landed in Europe last month. The offering also includes TF1 and M6, despite Canal+‘s history of often fraught relations with the commercial broadcasters.
TV+ combines over 80 live and catch-up TV channels including all digital-terrestrial channels and thematic channels such as RTL9, Olympia TV, MTV, Planète+, Aventure and Comédie+ along with eight digital channels including Comedy Club, Clique TV, Les Nouveaux Explorateurs and Gym Direct.
It does not include Canal+’s premium pay TV channel. However, the offering does provide access to a selection of Canal+ programming including, at launch, season 1 of Canal+ original Baron Noir, Tokyo Vice and Kylian Mbappé documentary Intérieur Sport.
Forthcoming content includes Florence Foresti comedy film Boys, Boys, Boys.
TV+ is available via the Canal+ app, which provides functionality such as restart TV, playlists, download for offline viewing, access to four programs simultaneously and access to content anywhere in Europe.
This global strategy goes hand in hand with the recent statements made by the group’s CEO, Maxime Saada: ‘In France, we are seeking to be a solution to foreign streaming platforms. In addition, we are focused on a growth strategy that seeks expansion in the African and Asian international growth markets, investing in Studiocanal, the largest content producer in Europe, while managing the difficult French television market.Fairly, this move coincides with the group’s recent attempts to acquire a majority stake in MultiChoice in South Africa.
