Canal+ Afrique
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pay television |
| Founded | April 18, 1990 |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | Africa |
| Parent | Canal+ Group |
Canal+ Afrique, formerly known as Canal+ Horizons or Canal Horizons, represents the African division of the French subscription television provider Canal+. It commenced operations in December 1991, primarily serving francophone nations across Central and West Africa, while also reaching non-francophone regions such as Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, and Cape Verde. Over time, its reach has grown substantially. In June 2023, Groupe Canal+ enhanced its footprint in Africa by acquiring a 32.6% ownership in South African pay-TV leader MultiChoice.
History
Established on 18 April 1990 as Canal+'s African subsidiary, Canal+ Horizons was managed by Canal+ president André Rousselet from January 1991 until December 1993, after which former French communications minister Catherine Tasca took over leadership. Initial subscriber numbers hovered around 26,000, mainly concentrated in Tunisia and Senegal. Modeled after the French Canal+ channel, it began terrestrial transmissions in December 1991 and expanded with direct-to-home satellite broadcasts in November 1992, extending coverage to the Middle East.
By January 1994, Canal Horizons had expanded operations into Ivory Coast. During the 2010s, it transitioned from the NSS-7 satellite—which had limited coverage in West Africa—to SES-4, thereby extending its service area towards the African Great Lakes region. By December 2018, Canal+ Group dominated Africa’s pay-TV sector with 4 million subscribers and provided access to over 200 channels and services across the continent; specifically, Canal+ Afrique offered more than 50 channels featuring high-definition content even in remote locations.
On 30 June 2023, Canal+ Group acquired a 32.6% stake in MultiChoice, which serves over 20 million subscribers across English and Portuguese-speaking African markets. The combined subscriber base of Canal+/MultiChoice is projected to reach 32 million by 2028, surpassing competitor Chinese-owned StarTimes, which is estimated at 19 million.
By the close of 2023, Canal+ Afrique reported a subscriber base of 8.1 million.
Description
As reported by Bloomberg, "Canal+ Afrique functions as a television channel broadcasting films, sports events, music programs, series, movies, news segments, discovery shows, and various other entertainment content."
As of May 2024, Canal+ operates across more than 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries, providing access to upwards of 400 channels. The exact number of channels branded specifically under Canal+ Afrique remains unspecified.
Canal+
- Canal+ Premières
- Canal+ Cinéma
- Canal+ Pop
- Canal+ Elles
- Canal+ Action
- Canal+ Family
- Canal+ Docs
- Canal+ Kids
- Canal+ Sport
Entertainment
- TF1
- France 2
- France 3
- France 5
- M6 International
- Arte
- C8
- TMC
- TFX
- Nollywood TV
- Novelas TV
- A+
- WION
- Zee Magic
Children's
- Télétoon+
- Piwi+
- Disney Channel
- Nickelodeon
- Gulli Africa
- TiJi
- Canal J
- Disney XD
- Cartoon Network
- Disney Junior
- Boomerang
- Warner TV Next
Hindi
- DD India
- DD News
- Zee News
- Republic TV
- Star Plus
- Zee TV
- Sony Entertainment Television
- Times Now
- Sony Pix
- Zee Tamil
- Zee Anmol
Cinema
- Paramount TV
- Ciné+ Frisson
- Ciné+ Emotion
- Action HD
- Canal Hollywood
- MN+
- Zee Studio
- Zee Cinema
- Sony Max
- DD National
- Star Gold
Music
DStv
CANAL+ provides an English-language package called English Plus through DStv, operated by MultiChoice, which includes more than 15 channels spanning major genres:
- SuperSport Football Plus, featuring Football, Premier League, and LaLiga
- M-Net Movies 3 & 4
- Africa Magic Showcase & Epic
- Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.
- E! Entertainment, BET Africa, and Telemundo
- Universal TV, Zee World, and Discovery Channel
- Al Jazeera
See also
External links
- Canal+ Afrique on YouTube