Enlarged role for Belmer at Canal Plus

Rodolphe Belmer has been named as director-general of Canal Plus Group and a member of the pay TV operator’s board.

Belmer, whose appointment was proposed to the company’s supervisory committee by Bertrand Méheut in his capacity as president of the board, will have overall responsibility for pay and free TV activities in metropolitan France, in charge of editorial, distribution, technology and advertising.

Belmer was previously deputy director-general and CEO of Canal Plus France. In his new enlarged role he will be responsible for supervising the development of new free-to-air channel D8, as well as pay TV activities. Méheut will remain in charge of Canal Plus’s international activities.

Belmer was confirmed as Méheut’s successor by the shareholders’ oversight committee  in February, following speculation that the latter could retire in 2013 ahead of his planned departure.