Canal+ (streaming service)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pay television, Streaming media |
| Predecessor | CanalSatellite, CanalSat |
| Founded | December 6, 1991 |
| Founder | Groupe Canal+ |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | France, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Monaco, Andorra, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Haiti, Mauritius, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Key people | Vincent Bolloré |
| Products | myCanal (OTT streaming platform), pay-TV services including Canal+, Canal+ Ciné Séries |
| Parent | Canal+ S.A. |
| Website | canalplus |
Canal+ is a French subscription-based over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform and pay-TV service. Initially launched as CanalSatellite in 1992, it was later renamed CanalSat. The streaming platform, known as myCanal, was introduced in 2013. This service functions as a subsidiary of Canal+ S.A..
CanalSat (pay television service)
The digital satellite provider CanalSatellite was created on 6 December 1991 as a fully owned subsidiary of Groupe Canal+. Its ownership was divided between Canal+ holding 66% and Lagardère Active owning 34%. The satellite broadcasting commenced in 1992 to broaden reach beyond existing cable infrastructure.
On 27 April 1996, CanalSatellite unveiled its digital satellite platform, offering 24 channels along with interactive features. The brand transitioned to Canalsat on 23 May 2005.
This platform employed card pairing technology (QEV), granting subscribers access to channels such as Eurosport, Paris Premiere, and LCI. Following the acquisition of rival TPS on 31 August 2006, the two entities merged under the Canal+ Group umbrella.
By December 2010, live streaming of Canal+ and Canalsat channels became available on Microsoft's Xbox 360. However, in 2011, the French Competition Authority withdrew its approval of the TPS-Canalsat merger due to failure in meeting competition-preserving conditions, issuing mandates aimed at restoring balance within the pay-TV market.
2013: Introduction of myCanal (streaming platform)
In December 2013, the subscription video-on-demand service myCanal was launched jointly by CanalSat and Canal+.
September 2015 saw Vincent Bolloré announce the rebranding of the service to "Canal". Subsequently, on 15 November 2016, CanalSat adopted this new name while integrating with the Les Chaînes Canal+ package and unveiling fresh content offerings.
In 2017, Canal lost exclusive broadcasting rights for channels from Discovery and NBCUniversal, which were acquired by SFR. To compensate, Canal introduced exclusive new channels including Warner TV, Polar+, and Novelas TV.
2019: Transition to Canal+ brand
On 1 August 2019, the platform underwent rebranding to become Canal+, consolidating its international identity. In September that year, the "Canal+ Ciné Séries" subscription tier expanded to incorporate Netflix. From its launch date on 7 April 2020, Disney+ was made available to all Ciné Séries subscribers. Similar enhancements were later rolled out for Paramount+ and Max, with Canal+ serving as their primary French partner.
Availability and access
Canal+ provides services across various countries through tailored brands and platforms:
| Brand | Country | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Canal+ | France Metropolitan France | canalplus.com/fr |
| Canal+ | Poland Poland | canalplus.com/pl |
| FilmBox+ | filmboxplus.com/pl | |
| Canal+ (fr) | Switzerland Switzerland | canalplus.com/ch |
| Canal+ Hopp (de) | canalplus.com/ch/de/ | |
| Canal+ | Netherlands Netherlands | canalplus.nl |
| Canal+ | Austria Austria | canalplus.at |
| Canal+ | Slovakia Slovakia | canalplus.sk |
| Canal+ | Czech Republic Czech Republic | canalplus.cz |
| TV Vlaanderen (nl) | Belgium Belgium | livetv.tv-vlaanderen.be |
| Télésat (fr) | livetv.telesat.be | |
| FilmBox+ | Hungary Hungary | filmboxplus.com/hu |
| FilmBox+ | Romania Romania | filmboxplus.com/ro |
| FilmBox+ | Bulgaria Bulgaria | filmboxplus.com/bg |
| Canal+ | Template:Country data MonacoTemplate:Namespace detect showall Monaco | canalplus.com/mc |
| Canal+ | Template:Country data AndorraTemplate:Namespace detect showall Andorra | canalplus.com/ad |
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(Note: Numerous African and overseas territories also receive Canal+ services under the Canal+ brand name. These include regions such as French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Haiti, Mauritius, as well as several African nations like Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Access to these markets is provided through localized sites within the canalplus.com domain.)