CANAL+ has committed €5.4 billion to future sports rights.
Much more than the €3.3 billion it has committed to film and television. The payments are spread across several years, but the scale makes one thing clear: sport sits at the centre of CANAL+’s content strategy.
The company is also pretty selective about what it buys. It walked away from Ligue 1 when the price no longer made sense, while continuing to spend heavily on UEFA club football, French rugby, F1 and other premium rights. The acquisition of MultiChoice, Africa's leading video entertainment and media platform expanded this portfolio, adding SuperSport’s football, rugby and cricket rights across the continent.
The role of sport changes by market. In France, it helps CANAL+ justify premium pricing and keep subscribers for longer. In Poland, it supports streaming, higher customer spending and advertising. In smaller European markets, major football rights help CANAL+ strengthen the brand. Across Africa, sport helps attract new households and move customers into higher priced packages.
The rights however, will eventually expire. The advantage sits in the system built around them: more than 41 million subscribers, premium channels, streaming, production, advertising and distribution across Europe and Africa.
365247 breaks down CANAL+’s sports strategy and portfolio….