Canal+ (French TV channel)
| File:Canal+ logo.svg Logo of Canal+ | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pay television |
| Founded | November 4, 1984 in France |
| Founder | André Rousselet, Pierre Lescure |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | Metropolitan France, Belgium, Spain, Germany (historically) |
Key people | Pierre Lescure (co-founder), Alain de Greef (former director-general), Michel Denisot (former director-general) |
| Products | Premium television channels, encrypted programming, CanalSat satellite service |
| Owner | Canal+ |
| Parent | Vivendi (until 2024), independent entity (from December 2024) |
| Website | www |
Canal+ (), alternatively written as Canal Plus and often shortened to C+ or simply Canal, is a French premium TV network owned by Canal+. Since its inception on November 4, 1984, the channel has primarily delivered encrypted programming to Metropolitan France, while also offering a selection of free-to-air broadcasts.
The channel was co-established by André Rousselet and Pierre Lescure, marking one of the earliest ventures into pay television in France. , who joined the team in 1986, significantly influenced the development of Canal+’s unique programming identity.
History
Prior to Canal+’s official launch, Jean Frydman developed the TVCS initiative, which aimed to introduce an encrypted television service within France. Initial transmissions commenced in March 1984, featuring music videos and promotional content during afternoon hours in the Île-de-France region.
Canal+ entered a broadcasting landscape dominated by three state-run channels. Despite initial political resistance, Rousselet’s connections with President François Mitterrand enabled advantageous conditions for the channel’s establishment. Under director-general Lescure’s guidance, programming blended American blockbusters with French drama series unavailable on public stations, fueling subscriber acquisition. Regulatory requirements obligated Canal+ to provide several hours of free daily content to encourage sign-ups.
At launch, films accounted for 45% of the channel’s airtime. Over time, Canal+ broadened its offerings to include sports coverage, interviews, documentaries, and softcore adult content—maintaining a tradition of monthly late-night adult film screenings since 1985. Although the arrival of private broadcasters in 1985 introduced competition, Canal+ sustained growth through effective marketing strategies.
Alain de Greef advanced from production director to director-general between 1986 and 2000, cultivating what became known as the "Canal Plus spirit" with satirical programs like Les Guignols de l'Info and influential talk shows such as Nulle part ailleurs.
By 1987, Canal+ had gone public and expanded its reach into European territories including Belgium, Spain, and Germany, eventually forming Groupe Canal+. Rousselet departed from the board in 1994, with Lescure assuming the role of director-general.
The digital satellite service CanalSat, a subsidiary of Canal+, was launched in December 1991. During the mid-1990s, sister channels Canal+ Jaune, Bleu, and Vert were introduced; these were later rebranded by 2003 as Canal+ Décalé, Cinéma, and Sport respectively.
In January 2000, Lagardère Group acquired a significant share in Canal+’s digital television division. Later that year in December, Vivendi completed its acquisition of Canal+. Following corporate restructuring under Vivendi CEO Jean-Marie Messier, Alain De Greef was succeeded by Michel Denisot as director-general in 2001; co-founder Lescure was dismissed in 2002 amid internal conflicts.
Starting September 2005, Canal+, alongside its Cinéma and Sport channels, began transmission via French digital terrestrial television (DTT). Encrypted high-definition terrestrial broadcasts commenced in August 2008. Plans were set to terminate analogue terrestrial transmissions by 2010.
In April 2014, Canal+ secured broadcasting rights for Ligue 1 football at a cost of €726 million covering seasons from 2016 to 2020, reinforcing its dominance within the sports broadcasting sector.
As of mid-2024, Vivendi considered listing Canal+ on the London Stock Exchange. By December 2024, Canal+ Group was spun off as an independent entity. The channel is scheduled to withdraw from France’s terrestrial platform in June 2025 due to regulatory changes and failure to renew free-to-air licenses. With fewer than 30,000 terrestrial subscribers—most viewers access Canal+ via satellite or IPTV—the exit from terrestrial broadcasting is expected to generate annual savings between €20 million and €24 million across affected channels. From June 2025 onward, France 4 will occupy Canal+’s terrestrial frequency under a new digital channel arrangement.
Description
Canal+ delivers its programming primarily to Metropolitan France, with the majority of content being encrypted, although some shows are available free-to-air. Advertising is typically absent except during these free-to-air segments. International films and television series are presented either in their original languages with French subtitles or dubbed into French. Every broadcast includes French subtitles for viewers with hearing impairments, and select programs offer audio descriptions to assist those with visual impairments.
The channel endorses the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) initiative, which promotes a standardized European platform for hybrid set-top boxes that combine traditional broadcast television with broadband multimedia services through a single user interface.
Analogue
At the outset, subscribers were mailed a monthly code to decrypt the service using the RITC Discret 1 system, which was linked to each decoder’s unique serial number. To address delays in postal delivery, Canal+ temporarily issued a universal key granting all decoders access between the end of one month and early in the next.
Due to significant piracy issues—worsened after decoder schematics were published in 1984—Canal+ transitioned to the more secure Nagravision encryption in 1992, fully phasing out Discret by 1995. New decoder models incorporated smart cards resembling keys that users inserted into the front panel. Concurrently, D2-MAC standard decoders were introduced for cable customers.
With the introduction of CanalSatellite, Canal+ adopted the Mediaguard encryption technology created by SECA, a joint venture between Canal+ and Bertelsmann. Canal+ later bought out Bertelsmann’s share, renaming SECA as Canal+ Technologies before selling it to Thomson SA by 2003. The MediaGuard system was compromised in the UK by hackers connected to Rupert Murdoch’s competitor NDS company, leading to card replacements for Canal+ users in 2002 and ensuing legal proceedings against Murdoch.
The Nagravision encryption remained operational until 30 November 2011, coinciding with the conclusion of analog television transmissions in France.
Sister channels
The premium channels under the Canal+ brand in France are collectively known as Les Chaînes Canal+. Between 2003 and 2008, this collection was referred to as Canal+ Le Bouquet.
| Channel | Launch Date | Details | Access Platforms | Broadcast Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTT | Satellite | IPTV | Cable | ||||
| Canal+ | 4 November 1984 | Principal flagship channel | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 16:9 Ultra HD |
| Canal+ Cinéma(s) | 27 April 1996 | Movie-focused channel, previously known as Canal+ Jaune | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Sport (France) | 31 August 1998 | Sports channel formerly called Canal+ Vert | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Séries | 21 September 2013 | Channel centered on television series | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Kids | 9 September 2021 | Programming aimed at children, formerly Canal+ Family | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Docs | 9 September 2021 | Dedicated documentary channel | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Grand Écran | 8 February 2022 | Film channel featuring daily themes and a focus on cinema screen experience | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Sport 360 | 31 August 2022 | Sports channel previously known as Canal+ Bleu and Canal+ Décalé | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Foot | 31 August 2022 | Football-centric sports channel | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Box Office | 1 September 2023 | Movie channel specializing in recent cinema releases | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
| Canal+ Live | 10 September 2024 | Collection of sports channels formerly named Kiosque, Ciné+/À La Carte, Multisports | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080i HDTV |
Cinema
- Box-Office
- Canal+ Premières
- Coup de Cœur
- Surprises
Cinema Magazines
- Têtàtête(s)
- Tchi tcha
- L'hebd'Hollywood
- Le cercle cinéma
- Le journal du hard
Series
- Création Décalée
- Création Originale
- Fiction
- Une série Canal+
Series Magazines
- Le cercle séries
- Les coulisses d'une création originale
Sport Broadcasts
- Formula 1
- Masters Tournament
- MotoGP
- Premier League
- Ryder Cup
- Top 14
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Europa League
Sport Magazines
- Canal champions club
- Canal football club
- Canal rugby club
- Débrief moto
- En pôle
- Formula one
- Golf+ le mag
- La grille
- Match of ze day
- Soir d'Europe
Sport Documentaries
- Doc sport
- Intérieur sport
Documentaries
- Les bouveaux explorateurs
- Alexia cuisine la France
- Culture & street
- Fatou en mode…
- Jérôme, les yeux dans le bleu
- L'enfant de la forêt
- Les nouveaux éclaireurs
- Les terroirs de Fred Chesneau
- Voyages au bout de l'effort
Magazines
- Clique
- En aparte
Entertainment
- Déambulations
- Hot Ones
- Jamel Comedy Club
- Saturday Night Live
- Spectacle
- Viendez au Groland