Vivendi’s Canal+ is becoming increasingly active across Central and Eastern Europe.
It’s hard to believe that up until four years ago its involvement in the region was confined to Poland, where it established a presence a quarter of a century earlier and has since become a key player.
The major turning point was the group’s acquisition of M7 in May 2019. By paying just over €1 billion for the Luxembourg-based company, it gained ownership of operators in several European markets including the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Skylink), Hungary (UPC Direct) and Romania (Focus Sat).
Canal+ then went on to buy a majority (70%) stake in the global media company SPI International, which has strong roots in CEE, in September 2021. At the time, the transaction was seen as key in helping the group reach its stated goal of at least 30 million subscribers globally – it had 22 million in 40 countries at the time – by 2025.
It was also described as an opportunity to develop new synergies and businesses in both Poland and the four M7 markets in the CEE region.
Since then, Skylink has introduced the Canal+ brand in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with key milestones being the launches of Canal+ Sport (offering coverage of the English Premier League) in August 2022 and Canal+ Action at the end of last month.
What is more, Skylink is now preparing to launch a Canal+ branded streaming service, including a video library and TV channels, in the two countries.
Although the Canal+ brand has yet to appear in Hungary and Romania, it will in due course also be extended to the two countries. Cooperation with other operators will be required to achieve this and no doubt helped by the fact that Canal+ as a rule seeks the widest reach for its services.
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