Canal+ Group Gets Anti-Trust Approval To Acquire French Pay TV Group OCS And Orange Studio, Under Certain Conditions

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. Canal+ has pledged to maintain separate purse strings for OCS/Cine+ to continue acquiring movies for first-window rights, as well as having a separate acquisition team. Canal+ has also committed to having OCS/Ciné+ pre-buy a minimum of 25 French film projects over the next five years, including at least four French film projects per year (and one project budgeted under €4 million).

In recent years, OCS has pre-bought many movies that were turned down by Canal+, for instance “Bernadette,” the critically acclaimed movie with Catherine Deneuve playing former first lady Bernadette Chirac, and “Planet B,” a politically minded dystopian film starring Adele Exarchopoulos and Souheila Yacoub.

Aside from Canal+, French producers have limited options to pre-finance movies in France. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ are bound to play a larger role due to their investment obligations in local content, but the anti-trust said in its decision that “subscription-based streaming services don’t represent real and potentially sufficient alternatives to (Canal+ and OCS), notably in terms of diversity.”

Canal+ Group, whose parent company is Vivendi, already owns 33.3% of OCS, the pay-TV arm of Orange, and has been distributing the service on its platform as part of its cable bundle since 2011.

Orange Studio, meanwhile, is the content division in charge of co-producing, selling abroad and distributing select films in France. The company distributed Florian Zeller’s “The Father” and “The Son” in France.

Canal+ has come a long way with France’s anti-trust board. In 2011, the board had blocked Canal+ Group’s attempt to merge with OCS and launch a premium pay TV channel. But that was before the arrival of streaming services in France. Netflix, which launched in late 2014, now has more subscribers than Canal+ (9.8 million locally), and OCS (approximately 2.9 million subscribers).

Canal+’s also recently took a 12% stake in Viaplay, the financially troubled Scandinavian streaming platform. Its other streaming assets include South Africa’s Multichoice Group, Hong Kong-based OTT service Viu International. 

French Pay TV Operator Canal+ Is To Follow Up Its Acquisition Of Orange’s Pay TV Service OCS By Launching A New Bouquet Of Channels And On-Demand Services, Ciné+ OCS, On July 3

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 cult and classic French, America and European films from the 1930s to the 1990s.

Films and series available from the launch of the offering will include Les Trois Mousquetaires : Milady, Revoir Paris, Novembre, Scream VI, Donjons & Dragons : L’Honneur des voleurs, Babylon, Hokusai, Black Adam, Mon crime, De grandes espérances, Bernadette, 10 jours encore sans maman, and Notre tout petit petit marriage along with series Twisted Metal season 1, The Walking Dead : Dead City, Sentinelles – Ukraine, Alex Rider season 3, Extra and Toutouyoutou season 2.

June 2024 On History Across Africa | New Series Alert: Hitler’s Handmaidens | Returning Shows Including Pawn Stars | More

WAR STORY SUNDAYS

Starts 2 June – 4 August

Sundays From 20h15

This year marks 80 years since the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. The seaborn invasion and airborne operati ons were the beginning of the liberati on of France and western Europe during WWII. To mark this anniversary the HISTORY Channel Africa brings viewers D-Day: 100 Days To Beat The Third Reich. Other war stories that will be brought to life each Sunday evening in June includes Hitler’s Handmaidens, The Lost U-Boats Of WWII and WWII Air Crash Detectives. 

BRAND NEW

HITLER’S HANDMAIDENS

2 June

Sundays 20h15

The role of women in the rise and implementati on of Nazi Germany is rarely featured in the history of World War II. Hitler’s Handmaidens examines the women who played an influential role in German society under the Nazi regime, from those who supported Hitler’s rise, to the individuals who played an active role in the Holocaust and other atrocities. Repeat: Following Saturday 21:05

Brand New & Exclusive

D-DAY: 100 DAYS TO BEAT THE THIRD REICH THE LOST U-BOATS OF WWII

2 June

Sundays 21h05

For the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing, this documentary will bring back to life the 100 days it took for the Allies to liberate Normandy, to break through the German line and to pave the way towards victory. It tells of 100 criti cal days, both heroic and tragic, that made history. Repeats: Following Saturday 21:55

BRAND NEW

THE LOST U-BOATS OF WWII

16 June

Sundays 21h05

During WWII the Nazis stole billions of dollars in gold, jewels and art. In an effort to hold onto as much of their treasure as possible despite losing the war, the Nazis dispersed the valued goods all over the globe using U-boats. For almost 80 years the treasure laden U-Boats have remained in their watery graves, until now. Famed treasure hunter Darrell Miklos is setting out to complete his lifelong mission of finding the missing U-boats and their multi-billion-dollar cargo. Each one-hour episode follows Darrell and his team of experts as they attempt to locate and lift the missing Nazi U-boats from the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. Repeats: Following Saturday 21:55

Brand New

WWII AIR CRASH DETECTIVES

30 June

Sundays 20h15

Uncovering the truth behind the deaths of thousands of airmen in World War II is investigator Garth Barnard. He reveals the historical events that caused vast destruction and devastation. Not only are stories told of collisions with attacking aircrafts, but the series presents the facts behind dangerous training missions and accidents that occurred. Repeats: Following Saturday 21:05

Brand New Episodes

PAWN STARS S24

26 June

Wednesdays 19h25

From ‘Pulp Fiction’ and Alfred Hitchcock posters to Nike Lebron sneakers and a signed autobiography by Arnold Schwarzenegger, there’s some wheeler dealing in the latest episodes of Pawn Stars. Go behind the scenes in the exciting pawn business, in this long-running and massively popular reality series. Repeats: Next Day 11:45

Recap To The Decade: Legacy Made Its Debut On Magic Showcase On DStv Easyview, Snubbed From Mzansi Wethu On Access

After MultiChoice and M-Net opted to scrap Novela Magic to DStv and GOtv consumers Africa. Content such as Zuba, Arendsvlei and The Throne had seen then been folded under Southern African/Pan-African infused entertainment channel, Magic Showcase. 

Since the channel's inception by November 2022, Magic Showcase has not only been giving consumers content already viewed on Africa Magic and Mzansi Magic but has also been serving as open window to shows viewed on Zambezi Magic and M-Net.

This includes dramas like Legacy and as mentioned Zuba and reality shows like Date My Family Zambia. 

These are content that once had an open window on HONEY and Novela Magic but that window had since then been shattered. Particularly for Legacy, as the only other alternative Me went dark on the platform last month, where does that leave shows like Reyka and Summertide?

Mzansi Magic had further distanced themselves from 1Magic's scraps with The River that moved to an earlier timeslot in favor Champions. Mzansi Wethu hasn't bothered to broadcast any of M-Net's original shows including Legacy leaving only Magic Showcase. 

Considering the outcome of Magic Showcase could it be possible that MultiChoice will look into rolling it out on more DStv platforms. Especially with the lineup of content that has been restricted from selected consumers or is that no longer viewed as a priority. 

Although other DStv customers have access to a lineup of entertainment from Mzansi Magic, Moja Love and KykNET. That wasn't the case for MultiChoice's Easyview consumers as they were hovering around provincial channels for comfort. 

But with various channels like Real Time, BBC UKTV, Mzansi Wethu and Nicktoons having around top to mid tier consumers Magic Showcase could join the lineup with proper restructuring. 

Interesting Fact: Boomerang Would Have Become A Preschool Channel By 2005 Or 2006

Tickle U was Cartoon Network's first attempt at a rival offering with Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. It debuted as a programming block on August 22, 2005 to January 13, 2006 with shows like Peppa Pig, Gerald McBoing Boing, Firehouse Tales and Little Robots.

Very little was known at the time at what led to inevitable demise of various theories did come to mind. One was the rival offering viewed on the as mentioned Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. brands with the other likely dealing with the content in general. 

Tickle U aired lesser known shows and the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery didn't browse their archives at the time. They had A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Krypto The Superdog and Baby Looney Tunes all of which never made it to the preschool block.

However people familiar with the matter had outlined that Warner Bros. Discovery had considered making Boomerang a preschool channel. This would be through Tickle U trademark and with the channel likely to be revolvant on its content.

Despite it not materializing, Boomerang did however did start airing more modernized shows in the later years like Krypto The Superdog and Gerald McBoing Boing. It wasn't long till Warner Bros. Discovery's next attempt at the preschool market, Cartoonito.

Cartoonito was a household trademark in the UK before expanding to other parts of Europe. It formed part of Boomerang's family lineup with shows like Baby Looney Tunes, Interstellar Ella and Lu Lu And The Bally Bunch before taking up the rest of the channel.