Tag Archives: Canal+

Entertainment

African Content Ready for “Global Moment”: MultiChoice at MIP Africa

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“There’s a superb probability that Africa’s movie trade is about to have its personal international second.” That’s the bullish take shared on Monday concerning the state of African movie and TV programming by Nomsa Philiso, CEO of basic leisure at African pay-TV large MultiChoice Group, the proprietor of African streamer Showmax, in her opening speech at MIP Africa. “We’ve already seen that occur with Afrobeats, Amapiano and African music as a complete.”

She additionally mentioned that extra African TV sequence and flicks are being aired globally than ever earlier than, pointing to what the corporate calls “a string of breakthroughs for African content material final 12 months,” in response to highlights of her speech, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Amongst them are the likes of college drama Wyfie, crime thriller sequence Reyka, and Shaka iLembe, the epic story of an iconic African king.

Plus, a report variety of African movies screened on the Cannes Movie Competition 2023, and Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story received the viewers award on the Tribeca Movie Competition final 12 months.

MultiChoice has additionally been taking African tales to the world by means of its gross sales arm MultiChoice Studios, in addition to partnerships with such distributors as Abacus, AMC, Fremantle, StudioCanal and The Trade, which is repping MultiChoice’s MIP Africa’s opening movie The Repair. 

After Reyka opened the Monte-Carlo Tv Competition and earned Worldwide Emmy nominations in the perfect drama and finest actress classes in 2022, Fremantle offered the primary season to greater than 150 territories, together with BritBox in North America, Channel 4 within the U.Ok., and HBO in Latin America, Philiso talked about. 

Nomsa Philiso, CEO of basic leisure at MultiChoice Group

Courtesy of MultiChoice Group

Philiso additionally known as out different examples of success, comparable to The Actual Housewives of Durban which has screened on the likes of NBCU’s actuality streamer Hayu, Peacock and Bravo, The Actual Housewives of Nairobi, vigilante killer thriller Satan’s Peak which offered to Tubi for North America, and crime thriller miniseries White Lies, starring Natalie Dormer, which offered to the likes of Sundance Now, Stan in Australia and Channel 4 within the U.Ok.

MultiChoice says it’s Africa’s largest content material producer, with a presence in 50 of Africa’s 54 international locations and telling tales in 45 languages.

MultiChoice’s African streamer Showmax relaunched in February with a deal with an expanded content material lineup, together with native originals, Hollywood hits and English soccer, engaging pricing, and plans to “change the sport” in streaming on the continent. The relaunch adopted an early 2023 deal between MultiChoice and Comcast’s leisure arm NBCUniversal and its European pay-TV unit Sky for a deal and partnership to “carry a number of the world’s finest content material and know-how to streaming clients” throughout sub-Saharan Africa “at a time when Africa is approaching an inflection level when it comes to broadband connectivity and affordability.” The Showmax group has since been 70 % owned by MultiChoice and 30 % owned by NBCUniversal.

MultiChoice, for which Vivendi’s Canal+ enterprise has made a public tender supply, at present has greater than 84,000 hours of native content material to showcase on the world stage, Philiso highlighted on Monday. “We’ve been shopping for content material from all the worldwide giants for many years, however more and more these relationships have gotten reciprocal as demand for African content material grows,” she defined. Our scale and confirmed observe report makes us a great accomplice in Africa for anybody as excited as we’re about diversifying the worldwide content material combine.”

‘Shaka iLembe’

Courtesy of MultiChoice Group

Philiso emphasised although that whereas worldwide attain is vital, MultiChoice’s main aim stays producing content material for its core viewers throughout Africa. “Like everybody else, Africans need to hear their very own languages and see themselves mirrored in what they watch,” she advised MIP Africa. “On Showmax, 9 of 10 of probably the most watched exhibits since its relaunch in February have been native. It took an enormous present like Home of the Dragon to make a dent.”

Entertainment

Vivendi Eyes Canal+ Stock Listing in London as Part of Split Into Four

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Vivendi will pursue a inventory market itemizing for its Canal+ Group pay-TV unit in London, the French telecom and media big mentioned on Monday in an replace about its examine to separate into 4 corporations.

“Canal+ can be listed on the London Inventory Alternate to mirror the corporate’s worldwide
dimension, notably as a part of the continued mixture with [South African pay-TV giant MultiChoice],” the corporate mentioned. “With near two-thirds of its subscribers outdoors of France, a movie and TV collection distribution community current on all continents, and progress drivers ensuing from its latest developments on the African, European, and Asia-Pacific markets, a London-based itemizing would signify a sexy resolution for worldwide buyers prone to have an interest within the group.”

Nevertheless, Vivendi additionally emphasised that Canal+ “would stay an organization included and taxed in France and wouldn’t be topic to obligatory inventory market laws on public gives in both the UK or France.” As well as, relying on the success of its public tender supply for MultiChoice, Canal+ “might be topic to a secondary itemizing on the Johannesburg inventory market,” Vivendi famous.

In the meantime, Vivendi’s promoting enterprise Havas can be listed in Amsterdam on the Euronext Amsterdam market, whereas its publishing enterprise consisting of Lagardère, wherein it owns a majority stake, and Prisma Media can be listed on the Euronext Progress change in Paris. Canal+ and Havas would have nearly zero web debt, the corporate additionally famous on Monday.

Progress at acquired writer Lagardère, in addition to Canal+ and Havas helped drive first-quarter income on the French media and telecommunications conglomerate, which is led by chairman Yannick Bolloré and CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine. “Vivendi has endured a considerably excessive conglomerate low cost, considerably decreasing its valuation and thereby limiting its means to hold out exterior progress transactions for its subsidiaries,” the agency mentioned earlier within the 12 months in explaining the plan for a break up.

The remainder of Vivendi would proceed to function and be listed on the Euronext Paris market. “Vivendi would proceed to develop and remodel Gameloft and actively handle a portfolio of investments (foremost amongst them being Common Music Group) in sectors completely acquainted to its groups for a few years, whereas having the means and ambition to provoke new investments in associated actions,” the corporate mentioned on Monday. “Vivendi would additionally retain the minority curiosity it may purchase in Lagardère SA via the train of the switch rights issued as a part of the 2022 public tender supply, which stay exercisable till June 15, 2025. Vivendi would additionally present a sure variety of providers to the three listed corporations ensuing from the break up.”

Entertainment

Canal+ Boosts Stake in Asian Streamer Viu

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French media and telecom conglomerate Vivendi’s pay-TV unit Canal+ Group has elevated its stake in Asian streamer Viu to 36.8 p.c, the corporate mentioned on Thursday.

“After satisfaction of key enterprise milestones, Canal+ Group has launched the final installment of its $300 million staggered funding,” it defined. “An additional funding, at Canal+ election, may lead to a rise of Canal+’s stake in Viu to 51 p.c.”

The corporate didn’t instantly define what can be wanted for it to make such a choice to go for a majority stake within the Hong Kong-based video streamer. Nevertheless it did spotlight its curiosity in Asia. “This funding is a renewed testimony to Canal+’s dedication to develop Asia as one of many group’s progress engines and underlines Canal+’s confidence in Viu and its crew.”

Canal+ first purchased into Viu, led by CEO Janice Lee, in a June 2023 cope with Hong Kong telecom powerhouse PCCW Group, taking a 26.1 p.c stake. As a part of that deal, Canal+ secured the choice of paying an extra sum to extend its stake to a 51 p.c majority. 

Launched in 2015 with backing from PCCW, Viu’s video service gives each promoting and subscription-supported choices in 16 territories in Asia, the Center East and South Africa. When it unveiled the Canal+ deal final 12 months, he firm mentioned it had greater than 66 million month-to-month energetic customers and 12 million paid subscribers, the majority of which is believed to be primarily based in Asia. Viu has specialised in licensing and producing authentic Korean content material, nevertheless it additionally creates authentic content material in Southeast Asian territories together with Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.  

Canal+ has 26.4 million subscribers worldwide, together with 17.1 million in Europe, 8.1 million in Africa and 1.2 million within the Asia-Pacific area. Past its funding in Viu, it is usually the biggest shareholder in African pay-TV large MultiChoice and in Viaplay, the Scandinavian pay-TV and streaming firm. Earlier this 12 months, it additionally took a stake in main Senegalese manufacturing firm Marodi TV.