French pay-TV group Canal+ will launch a streaming service and linear TV channel in Austria on March 15, 2022.
With films and series from Europe, Canal+ wants to create an alternative to the US players, as Philipp Böchheimer, managing director of Canal+ Austria, stressed at a press event in Vienna. Austrian original productions are also planned, including a music and culture show and a news programme.
The Canal+ streaming service will offer exclusive content from Studiocanal, Kinowelt TV, Filmtastic and Starzplay, among others, for €8.99 per month. Up to three simultaneous streams on five devices in Full HD quality will be possible. The Canal+ app will be available for iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and all major smart TV brands. The service will also be accessible directly via the browser at canalplus.at.
The linear TV channel Canal+ First will show European series, documentaries and movies, international blockbusters and Austrian original productions. Initially, the channel will be distributed on streaming service A1 Xplore TV and on TV platform HD Austria, with other network operators and platforms to follow shortly.
“We offer an Austrian channel with content specifically for the Austrian market,” said Böchheimer. “We continuously tailor our content to the needs of the domestic audience and can additionally draw from Canal+’s worldwide pool of exclusive content.”
The joint venture Canal+ Austria is owned by Canal+ (51%), a subsidiary of French media group Vivendi, and Austrian telco A1 Telekom Austria (49%). In August 2021, the plans for the joint activities in Austria became known. In September 2021, the partners provided the first details. Managing director Philipp Böchheimer took up his post in February 2022. Canal+ is already present in Austria with the TV platform HD Austria, which is operated by its subsidiary M7.