Canal+ is to offer subscribers an Apple TV 4K box as an alternative to its own devices.
Canal customers in France can opt for the Apple TV 4K box as their decoder to access the pay-TV operators bouquets and its increasing selection of 4K and HDR content. As well as the myCanal on demand service they will also be able to take advantage of the App Store, Apple Music and Siri voice service.
Canal+ is the second platform operator in Europe offering Apple TV as a standard set-top-box to its customers following Salt in Switzerland. Also, a number of OTT services offer Apple TV as an option, including T-Mobile in The Netherlands.
Frank Cadoret, CEO of the French Group, said: “We are proud to offer Apple TV 4K and our unique selection of channels to our millions of subscribers in France. Canal offers reach nearly one in five French households and with myCanal we have all the assets to attract a large number of users. Apple TV is the perfect showcase for our exclusive premium content, especially movies, sports and original creations.”
Oliver Schusser, Apple Music & International Content vice president at Apple, adds: “We think Canal customers will love using Apple TV 4K as a decoder. Customers will enjoy a rich and easy-to-use experience to watch their favorite channel programming, as well as access to Apple services, including the App Store and Apple Music.”
The Apple TV 4K will be available from May 17 2018 for all customers subscribing to an OTT offer at the usual price of a Canal decoder (€6 per month).
The myCanal application, which has over 13 million mobile downloads and 1 million daily users, is the number one media application in France on all platforms.
myCanal will automatically be installed on Apple TV 4K for Canal customers and will provide access to all the content of their offer, live and on demand, including more than 10,000 films, series, sports and documentary highlights, and all associated features (start-over, playlists, etc.).
CANAL + Group will distribute the Apple TV 4K directly to its customers and will apply the same rental conditions as for its own decoders.
