Planète+
| Company type | Television channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Predecessor | Planète Câble |
| Founded | 19 September 1988 |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | France, Canada, Poland |
| Owner | Canal+ |
Planète+—previously known as Planète Câble and simply Planète—is a French TV channel dedicated to documentary programming, owned by Canal+. It broadcasts via digital terrestrial television and also operates a Canadian edition, Planète+ Canada, which is managed by Thema Canada, a Canal+ international subsidiary.
History
Planète Câble was introduced on 19 September 1988 by Ellipse Câble with the goal of enriching cable television offerings through documentary content. It became one of the original four channels on the CanalSatellite satellite package starting 14 November 1992.
On 20 September 1995, MultiThématiques assumed control from Ellipse Câble, collaborating with TeleCommunications International Inc. and Générale d'images to expand the channel’s international reach. The brand launched in Poland in December 1996, followed by expansions into Italy and Germany in 1997; however, only the Polish version remains operational today.
The channel underwent a rebranding to Planète on 4 September 1999 to signify its distribution beyond cable networks and simultaneously introduced a sister channel named Planète 2.
In the early 2000s, Planète sought authorization for pay DTT broadcasting. Although initially approved in June 2003, this authorization was revoked in October 2004 due to regulatory restrictions on ownership concentration. After divesting certain cross-shareholdings in January 2005, Planète regained its terrestrial license and commenced DTT transmission on 21 November 2005 as part of Canal+’s “Minipack” offering.
On 17 May 2011, the channel adopted the Canal+ “+” branding, becoming Planète+, aligning its identity with sister channels such as Télétoon+. The Polish channel followed this update with a rebrand and HD launch in November 2011.
Planète+ attempted to convert from pay to free-to-air DTT broadcasting in both 2014 and 2015; however, the CSA rejected these requests citing concerns over financial sustainability and overlap with public broadcasters’ programming.
After the introduction of Canal+ Docs, a premium documentary channel, in September 2021, Planète+ shifted its focus exclusively toward history content in 2022.
In 2024, Planète+ applied for a renewal of its DTT license for an additional ten years. Nonetheless, following ARCOM’s revocation of C8’s terrestrial license and stricter regulatory measures, Canal+ announced on 5 December that it would terminate all its pay-TV services on DTT by June 2025, thereby ending Planète+’s terrestrial broadcasts.
Broadcast
Within France, Planète+ is accessible solely through Canal+. On 1 July 2016, the channel was removed from Numericable after losing exclusivity due to Numericable’s integration with SFR fiber-optic services following its acquisition in 2014.
Planète+ is distributed throughout the French-speaking regions, including a customized Canadian version.
Since 10 December 2021, Planète+ has been offered in Poland via Polsat Box, alongside other thematic channels.
Sister channels
Planète's initial sister channel, Planète Forum, debuted in December 1997 amid competition with TPS’s Odyssée. This was followed by the launch of Planète 2 on 15 September 1999.
On 3 December 2001, Planète Forum was replaced by Planète Future, which focused on content exploring future themes combining elements of reality and fiction.
In July 2002, MultiThématiques collaborated with France Télévisions to create a channel based on the program Thalassa, which launched as Planète Thalassa on 1 November 2002, taking over from Planète 2.
Ma Planète was introduced on 5 November 2003 as an educational documentary channel for children. Co-owned by France Télévisions (34%), it aimed to rival TPS’s Eurêka.
On 28 August 2004, Planète Future transformed into Planète Choc, targeting viewers aged 15-34 with bold and provocative programming.
Planète Choc was renamed Planète No Limit on 6 February 2007; while maintaining its thematic focus, it eliminated controversial reality shows. That same year saw the debut of Planète Justice through a partnership with France Télévisions. Following the Canalsat-TPS merger, Ma Planète merged with Eurêka and was rebranded as Planète Juniors on 4 September 2007.
Planète Juniors ceased broadcasting on 22 March 2009, with its content migrating to Télétoon.
On 17 May 2011, several channels adopted the “Planète+” brand: Planète+ Thalassa, Planète+ Justice, and Planète+ No Limit.
Subsequently, on 13 November 2013, Planète+ Justice and Planète+ No Limit were rebranded as Planète+ CI and Planète+ A&E respectively through collaboration with American media company A&E Networks.
Planète+ Thalassa discontinued operations on 1 January 2016.
On 17 February 2022, both Planète+ Aventure&Expérience and Planète+ Crime+Investigation dropped their A&E Networks co-branding titles and were renamed simply as Planète+ Aventure and Planète+ Crime.