By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Canal+, a French media conglomerate, has acquired the remaining 55% stake in MultiChoice Group, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, for $3 billion.
The deal was approved by South Africa’s Competition Tribunal, and gives Canal+ full ownership of MultiChoice.
The acquisition was approved on July 23, 2025, with conditions to protect local content and media sovereignty. Canal+ will invest approximately 26 billion rand over three years in local content production, technology upgrades, and digital innovation. Also, MultiChoice will retain its headquarters in South Africa, and funding for local content and sports broadcasting will be maintained.
Due to this, the combined group will have enhanced scale, greater exposure to high-growth markets, and the ability to deliver meaningful synergies. According to Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada, “The combined group will benefit from enhanced scale, greater exposure to high-growth markets and the ability to deliver meaningful synergies.”
Also, the acquisition will create a multilingual media powerhouse, integrating Canal+’s French-language content with MultiChoice’s English and Portuguese offerings.
The deal is expected to put fresh capital into MultiChoice, enabling deeper investment in local content production and digital innovation. Both companies reaffirmed their commitment to the South African media ecosystem: “We will maintain funding for South African general entertainment and sports content, providing local content creators with a strong foundation for future success.”
The deal is expected to be finalized by October 8, 2025.
Canal+ aims to significantly scale up its presence in Africa, targeting 50 to 100 million subscribers across the continent in the coming years.
