Entertainment Inside Us (Insidus)

With great power comes great responsibility. Canal+ Group has received the conditional approval from the anti-trust board to acquire Orange Studio and OCS, the film and pay TV operations of Orange, France’s leading telco group. Canal+ has committed to a number of remedies for an initial duration of five years in order to get the regulatory green light and address concentration concerns. The acquisition of OCS by Canal+ could have large ramifications on the local film industry because both players represent the top two sources of pre-financing for French movies. Canal+ is currently on a three-year deal (until the end of 2024) with film guilds to invest an average of €200 million per year in French and European cinema. OCS, meanwhile, has a deal with producers to invest €20 million annual investment in local pics. Under the plans presented to the regulatory commission, OCS will be combined with Cine+, one of Canal+’s channels, but it will continue to operate independently. Ca

The new offering will incorporate what Canal+ says is the best of the OCS offering with its Ciné+ service. Ciné+ OCS will be available via Canal+ but also direct via distribution partners. The offering will comprise six channels and an on-demand service that includes access to films distributed exclusively six months after their theatrical release. It will also include French and international exclusive series, and OCS Signature productions. The channels on offer include: OCS, a flagship offering with films available six months after their theatrical release, and French and international series; Ciné+Frisson, a movie channel including blockbusters, thrillers, horror movies and popular franchises; Ciné+Émotion, a channel focusing on romantic drama films and romantic comedies; Ciné+Family, a channel focusing on family films, popular comedies, animation and kids content; Ciné+Festival, focusing on independent movies and world cinema; and Ciné+Classic, providing access to cul