The Canal+ group has announced the withdrawal of its pay channels from digital terrestrial television.
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Thunderbolt in the world of pay television: Canal+, Canal+ Cinéma, Canal+ Sport and Planète will soon no longer be accessible via DTT. This announcement marks a historic turning point for the group, which explains its choice by “the withdrawal of the C8 chain by Arcom” and a French economic environment that has become hostile. In a press release, the group denounces an increase in the tax paid to the National Cinema Center (CNC) and threats to the VAT rate applied to its offers. Measures considered all the more unfair as Canal+ remains the main financier of French cinema.
A carefully considered decision
Current subscribers receiving Canal+ via DTT, estimated at around 70,000 according to Vivendi’s IPO document, will be supported to migrate to other technical solutions, the group said. Not all of the group’s channels are affected by this withdrawal. CNews and CStar, broadcast free on TNT, will continue to occupy their frequencies, thus reassuring their loyal viewers. This maintenance could also respond to strategic imperatives linked to the visibility and place of information channels in the French audiovisual landscape.
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In the short term, this decision should not disrupt the numbering of channels, even if the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Arcom) is already working on a reorganization, in particular with the creation of a block reserved for broadcast channels. information. This withdrawal of Canal+’s pay channels nevertheless highlights a profound transformation of the group’s economic model, now focused on digital platforms and increased internationalization.
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As Canal+ prepares to go public in London, this strategic choice illustrates a desire to free the group from national constraints to focus on growth opportunities abroad. A page is turning for French television.
