Some 250 positions will be eliminated in the Canal+ group, including 150 in connection with the end of its C8 channel on February 28, the inter-union of the Vivendi subsidiary, led by conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, said on Friday.
During a social and economic committee (CSE) meeting on Friday, “Canal+ elected officials learned with dismay of management’s choice to draw up a social plan, concerning 150 positions (permanent, fixed-term, freelance and intermittent workers) linked to the shutdown of the C8 channel and 100 additional others” within the group, details the inter-union CGT, CFE-CGC, CFDT and +Libres (autonomous union) in a press release.
“We completely disagree with these decisions. Furthermore, no economic argument justifies this +additional+ social plan” of 100 people, estimate these organizations.
Asked by AFP, the group’s management had not yet reacted on Friday evening.
The inter-union indicated to request “up to management to reverse these decisions” and reserves “the possibility of contesting them unionly”.
These job cuts come the day after the Canal+ group announced the withdrawal from June 2025 of its four pay channels on DTT (Canal+, Canal+ Cinéma, Canal+ Sport, Planète), also in reaction to the non-renewal of the frequency of C8 and “an increasingly restrictive tax and regulatory environment”.
The decision in July by the audiovisual regulator, Arcom, on C8 caused an explosion in the audiovisual sector, with some seeing it as a form of censorship, others expressing their satisfaction.
By ousting C8, which has a fine of 7.6 million euros due to the excesses of host Cyril Hanouna, the regulator had sent a signal to the channels of the need to respect their obligations in terms of controlling the antenna in particular.
Arcom must finalize in the coming days the process of reallocation of 15 DTT frequencies in 2025, of which C8 has been excluded.
Mobilized like the entire Canal+ empire, C8 launched an online petition at the beginning of November to request its continuation, which gathered more than 970,000 signatures.
The announcement of a social plan also comes three days before a decisive general meeting for the proposed split of Vivendi into four independent entities, including the company Canal+.
In the event of a green light from shareholders, Canal+ will be listed on the London Stock Exchange from December 16. Its head office will remain in France, as will its tax residence.
