Canal+ Is Set To Become A Standalone Company After Shareholders Of Its Parent, Vivendi, Overwhelmingly Approved A Spinoff Plan

More than 97.5% voted to separate Canal+, ad business Havas and publisher Louis Hachette Group. They will begin trading on the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Growth Paris, respectively, on December 16. About 72% of Vivendi shareholders were present at the vote.

Canal+ is known for its European pay-TV operations and is also the owner of Paddington in Peru‘s Studiocanal. It has been aggressively investing in international streamer Viu and Africa’s MultiChoice, and can now look forward to a more independent future, albeit still within the Vivendi group.

“We are delighted with the very high adoption rate of our spinoff project,” said Vivendi chairman Yannick Bolloré, whose family has led the demerger plan. “This indisputable result confirms this strong support of our shareholders for this transformative transaction.

“The Supervisory Board would like to warmly thank Arnaud de Puyfontaine and the whole Management Board, all the teams involved in this project, our different advisors and our shareholders for their trust. We are convinced that this new chapter for Canal+, Havas and Louis Hachette Group will be very promising and create value for all stakeholders.” 

Vivendi’s board gave the split the go-ahead a month ago, as part of a move to tighten finances and give its verticals more flexibility. Despite floating on the London Stock Exchange, Canal+ will remain incorporated and taxed in France, and will not be required to follow mandatory stock market regulations on public offers in either its home country or the UK.

The initial spinoff plan was to leave Canal+ with virtually no debt, but it is set to begin trading with debt of €400 million ($433 million), of which about €225M will be related to the company’s investment in African content giant MultiChoice, as revealed last month. Former Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish will take a spot on the Canal+ board next week once trading begins.

Canal+ launched in 1984 and was acquired by Vivendi 16 years later as part of a transaction that saw it grouped with Universal. Vivendi sold its Universal assets to General Electric, which formed NBCUniversal by merging the production biz with broadcaster NBC.

JP Morgan estimates Canal+ to be worth €6 billion ($6.3 billion).

Could Nicktoons Expand To DStv Access Consumers In South Africa If It Lives Through Another Year?

During the week, MultiChoice added the last remaining premium kids channels Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. from Paramount Global to DStv Compact consumers in South Africa. This means even less consumers would depend on the scraps from Nicktoons as they get further access to later seasons of SpongeBob Squarepants and DORA.

This would also give them further access to live-action series such as Henry Danger, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan, The Really Loud House and The Thundermans.

Nicktoons in recent years has moved away from being a mirrored version to Nickelodeon's late 90s to early 00s to now serving as a promotional window to most of their fresher shows. For the past 10 years, Family and Compact consumers had been reliant on the channel to get most of these titles from Nickelodeon.

Now that Nickelodeon is no longer a premium channel this only means that while it and Nick Jr. would garner more exposure less attention is going to be poured onto Nicktoons. MultiChoice Africa already distributes Nickelodeon alongside rivalled platforms which sort of widens the reach of the channel.

Nicktoons doesn't have exposure within Africa as MultiChoice distributes it under the Compact bouquet which to some extent can be considered premium. Even with Nick In Your Language, my point still stands who would want to watch weekly episodes of Transformers: Earthspark on Nicktoons if you can get it for more hours on Nickelodeon.

In South Africa, there is a bit of hope for Nicktoons if MultiChoice moved it to DStv Access as Play Room offers a rivalled offering to Nick In Your Language. Then there's CBeebies which very similar to Nicktoons has also been dubbing some of their preschool in local languages.

Skydance Media is currently in the process of acquiring Paramount Global by the first half of 2025 which is awaiting regulatory approval. According to Bloomberg, the plan is to merge MTV Studios with CBS Studios while reducing linear spend which could lead to the closure or merger of various TV channels.

Month Of Witches. Disney Channel Will Debut Wizards Beyond Waverly Place In January 2025 Across Europe, Middle East And Africa Alongside A Rebroadcast Of The Owl House

Last month, Disney Channel expanded their feed seen within Eastern and Western parts of Africa to most Southern African countries (excluding South Africa). This led to further additions with the launch of Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur after being made available on Disney+ when it launched in South Africa by 2022.

Now most parts of Africa are likely to miss out on the final season of The Owl House as rebroadcasts to the first season are aired on Disney Channel in South Africa. But alas, Disney Channel as seen with most other kids channels are distancing themselves from their edgier shows by moving them to late nights or early mornings.

The Owl House will broadcast daily at 06:00 CAT as a double bill from January 7th and also joining Anne and the rest of the gang on her journey to the new year will be a brand new series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place from January 28th at 17:00 CAT.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows an adult Justin Russo (David Henrie), who has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family. When Justin’s sister Alex (Selena Gomez) brings Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.

The series also stars Alkaio Thiele (as Roman Russo), Max Matenko (as Milo Russo), Taylor Cora (as Winter) and Mimi Gianopulos (as Giada Russo). Gomez will guest star in the first episode, and Henrie has already confirmed she will appear in later episodes as well.

Based on Wizards Of Waverly Place, the trailer of the sequel series had amassed 69M views across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube in the 10 days post-launch, making it Disney Channel’s most-watched trailer for a comedy series ever. The first season is set to consist of 21 half hour episodes.

e.TV Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Canadian Animated Series, Total Drama Island

Total Drama Island is the first season of Total Drama series, a Canadian animated television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch. The series premiered in Canada on Teletoon on July 8, 2007, and ran for 26 episodes, each 22 minutes in duration with a special 44-minute season finale. 

Internationally, Cartoon Network held rights to the first 6 seasons for consumers in Africa and some parts of the world including The Ridonculous Race which served as a spinoff. Play Room is currently distributing Total DramaRama in South Africa which is second spin-off to the franchise and in some way skewed toward a younger audience.

Now more South African households are going to garner access to Total Drama as e.tv introduces the first season to consumer's screens every Wednesday at 15:35 from 18 December. This would join Open Season: Call Of Nature and Angry Birds: Summer Madness as the many shows looking to launch on the channel.

Total Drama Island is set in the fictional titular reality show, which follows the competition of twenty-two unsuspecting and unwitting campers at Camp Wawanakwa, the most rundown, insect-infested, disgusting island in an unspecified area in Muskoka, Ontario. The campers participate in competitions and challenges that get more insane and dangerous each week to avoid being voted off the island by their fellow campers and teammates. 

At the end of the series, the winning contestant will receive C$100,000 (US$73,129.00). The competition is hosted by Chris McLean, assisted by the camp's chef, Chef Hatchet, who is also Chris's best friend despite being mistreated at times. 

SURPRISE!!! Paramount Africa Is Making Nickelodeon And Nick Jr. Available To DStv Compact Customers In South Africa

 

Get ready for a playful and fun festive season filled with joy, laughter, and one last 25th anniversary hurrah from SpongeBob SquarePants! From 6 December 2024, Nickelodeon (DStv 305) and Nick Jr. (DStv 307) will both be available on DStv Compact permanently, gifting more children and families across South Africa access to the very best in family entertainment.

 

As part of this exciting move, Nickelodeon, the number one entertainment brand for kids, invites everyone to celebrate SpongeBob SquarePants’ 25th anniversary with a festive extravaganza like no other. From exclusive new episodes and Nickelodeon favourites in isiZulu and Afrikaans to Zee Nxumalo’s Amapiano remix of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme-song! This holiday season promises something for everyone.

Nickelodeon (DStv channel 305) December Highlights

SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas Special – 21 December | Saturday at 12:30

The Loud House Christmas Special – 21 December | Saturday at 14:10

Young Dylan Christmas Special – 21 December |

Saturday at 18:30

The Patrick Star Show from 2–13 December at 15:00

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 23 December, weekdays at 19:45 

Nick Jr. (DStv channel 307) December Highlights

Rubble & Crew (new episodes) from 02 December, Monday-Friday at 17:30

DORA (new episodes) from 09 December, Monday-Friday at 18:00

Nick Jr’s Holiday Stunt Premiere episodes: Paw Patrol, Rubble and Crew, Hamsters of Hamsterdale, The Adventures of Paddington, The Tiny Chef Show from 21 December at 12:00

Nick in Your Language Continues to Shine

Nickelodeon’s commitment to inclusivity continues with the Nick in Your Language initiative, offering local language episodes of beloved shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, DORA, Rubble & Crew, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and PAW Patrol in local languages. Catch these dubbed favourites on Nicktoons (DStv channel 308), weekday mornings at 7:30–9:00, and afternoons at 15:00–16:00. 

January 2025: Start the New Year with Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.!

  

Transformers: EarthSpark S3 (new season) on 11 January at 11:00 on Nickelodeon (DStv channel 305), Baby Shark’s Big Movie! 5 January at 12:20 on Nick Jr. (DStv channel 307), Baby Shark’s Big Show S3 (new season), weekdays at 16:30 on Nick Jr. (DStv channel 307), starts 6 January. 

Dance in to the holidays with SpongeBob and Zee Nxumalo

To make this holiday season even more exciting, Nickelodeon has partnered with Amapiano sensation Zee Nxumalo for a special Amapiano remix of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song, soon to be available on Spotify. Fans can join the #DanceLikeASpongeChallenge on TikTok and be part of the fun.

Follow @Nickelodeon_Africa for more information.

“At Nickelodeon we put kids first and we believe in the power of fun to bring families together. What better time to celebrate fun than during the holidays? As we mark SpongeBob SquarePants’ 25th anniversary, we’re thrilled that Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. content is now accessible to even more families, solidifying our mission to provide inclusive, world-class entertainment.” says Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Paramount Africa.

 

“We’re thrilled to make Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. available to DStv Compact viewers,” says Melusi Sibisi; Acting Head of 3rd Party Channels and Partnerships for the Multichoice Group. “This move underscores our commitment to ensuring that more families across South Africa have access to premium kids’ entertainment. With Nickelodeon’s rich line-up and beloved characters, this holiday season will undoubtedly be one to remember.”

 

This holiday season, Nickelodeon promises a Nicktastic Festive! Soak up the fun! Join SpongeBob, Patrick, the Ninja Turtles, and more as they bring endless joy and adventure to your screens.