French media powerhouse Canal+ Group has finalized a $3 billion acquisition of the remaining 55% stake in MultiChoice Group, securing full ownership of Africa’s largest pay-TV operator, which includes DStv, GOtv, SuperSport, M-Net, Africa Magic, and Showmax.
The deal, approved on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 by the South African Competition Tribunal, is valued at approximately 55 billion rand and is set to close fully by October 8, 2025. This marks a major turning point in the African broadcasting landscape, giving Canal+ access to over 14.5 million subscribers across 50 countries.
Canal+, which previously held 45.2% of MultiChoice, has been steadily increasing its stake since 2020, investing €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) before launching a full takeover bid earlier this year.
“This is a strategic milestone for our company,” said Canal+ Chairman and CEO Maxime Saada. “We aim to build a unified media platform that blends Canal+’s French-language programming with MultiChoice’s English and Portuguese content, while boosting local production.”
Canal+, a subsidiary of French media conglomerate Vivendi SE, plans to invest R26 billion ($1.4 billion) over the next three years to support local content creation, protect South African-based operations, preserve jobs, and promote transformation initiatives in the region.
With the acquisition, Canal+ significantly boosts its position in the global media space, setting itself up as a major competitor to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ across Africa’s fast-growing digital entertainment market.
