French media giant Canal+ has finalised its $3 billion acquisition of South Africa’s pay-TV company MultiChoice. This deal gives Canal+ full ownership of Africa’s leading television platforms, DStv and GOtv.
Canal+, which is part of French conglomerate Vivendi, already owned 45.2% of MultiChoice. It started increasing its stake in 2020 as part of its plan to expand in Africa. With this acquisition, Canal+ now owns 100% of MultiChoice, making it the largest pay-TV provider on the continent.
The deal was approved by South Africa’s Competition Tribunal on July 23, 2025. Full completion is expected by October 8, 2025, once the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa grants its final approval.
As part of the agreement, Canal+ will invest around 26 billion rand over the next three years. This investment will support local content production, sports broadcasting, and small businesses in the media sector. To follow South African laws that limit foreign ownership of broadcasting licences to 20%, MultiChoice will create a new company called LicenceCo. This company will hold its licences and will be majority-owned by South Africans.
MultiChoice currently has more than 14 million subscribers in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Canal+ has about 8 million subscribers in 25 African markets. Together, they will reach over 22 million households, offering programming in English, Portuguese, and French, as well as local African content and live sports.
The acquisition will help Canal+ compete with global streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It plans to expand Showmax, MultiChoice’s streaming platform, and introduce new technologies to improve viewing experiences for subscribers.
Canal+ will keep MultiChoice’s headquarters in South Africa and has promised to protect existing jobs for at least three years. It also plans to train local media professionals through new development programmes and will continue working with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to provide local content to viewers.
This deal is one of the biggest media acquisitions in Africa’s history. It will help Canal+ grow its presence in African markets while supporting local talent and stories across the continent.
