Orange’s bid to divest itself of its suite of movie channels OCS is continuing to encounter a brick wall.
Launched in 2008 at a time when telcos decided content acquisition was the best way to shift broadband subscriptions, Orange has been attempting a sale for two years.
According to Les Echos, the platform has approximately 3 million subscribers, each paying €11 a month. However, it has still accumulated between €400 and €500 million in losses since its launch.
The paper says the most likely scenario remains that of a takeover by Canal+. The Vivendi-owned pay platform is responsible for the acquisition of around two-thirds of the subscriber portfolio and already holds 34% of the business. Talks are said to have accelerated since the beginning of the year.
Another option is Warner Bros. Discovery, although recent cost cutting at the US studio could make this implausible, OCS is currently home to HBO content and with a French launch for HBO Max/Discovery+ due next year it could underpin its subscriber base.
One final suggestion is Sky, which could allow a small expansion into the French market, and a combination with SkyShowtime.
