French media conglomerate Canal+ officially acquired full ownership of MultiChoice Group, the parent company of popular African pay-TV platforms DStv and GOtv, in a landmark $3 billion deal.
The acquisition secured Canal+ the remaining 55% stake it did not previously own, following approval from South Africa’s Competition Tribunal.
The approval, granted after months of negotiations and regulatory scrutiny, comes with several public interest conditions aimed at protecting local content and preserving South Africa’s media sovereignty. The deal is expected to be finalized by October 8, 2025.
With this acquisition, Canal+ significantly expands its footprint across Africa’s booming media market.
The company already operates in 25 African countries with over eight million subscribers, and it now gains access to MultiChoice’s 14.5 million subscribers across 50 sub-Saharan African countries.
Together, they aim to scale up to 50 to 100 million subscribers continent-wide in the coming years.
The merger combines Canal+’s strength in French-language content with MultiChoice’s dominant English and Portuguese offerings, creating a multilingual entertainment powerhouse capable of catering to diverse African audiences.
MultiChoice’s premium content brands, including SuperSport, add to the appeal of the acquisition.
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada described the deal as transformative, highlighting enhanced scale, exposure to high-growth markets, and meaningful synergies as key benefits.
The deal will also inject fresh capital into MultiChoice, enabling investments in local content production, technological upgrades, and digital innovation.
As part of the Competition Tribunal’s conditions, Canal+ has pledged to invest approximately 26 billion rand over the next three years in supporting South African public interest objectives.
This commitment includes maintaining MultiChoice’s headquarters in South Africa, sustaining local content and sports broadcasting investments, and empowering local content creators.
Both Canal+ and MultiChoice reaffirmed their commitment to nurturing South Africa’s media ecosystem through continued funding and support for local entertainment and sports content.
The acquisition positions Canal+ to reshape Africa’s pay-TV landscape as it leverages MultiChoice’s substantial market presence and content portfolio to tap into the continent’s immense growth potential.
