Canalplay acquires rights to HBO series for France

French pay TV operator Canal+’s on-demand unit Canalplay has struck a deal with US pay TV channel provider HBO to acquire subscription video-on-demand rights to The Wire and Strike Back. 

Seasons one to five of The Wire and Seasons one and two of Strike Back will be available via Canal+’s SVoD service from now until the end of the year.

Canal+ had earlier announced that it would provide HBO content on Canalplay as part of a drive to reinforce the appeal of its offerings ahead of Netflix’s launch in the country. Previously, HBO content was only available in France via Orange’s Orange Cinema Séries channels under a deal that allowed OCS to air HBO shows 24 hours after they aired in the US.

The HBO deal is part of a wider drive by Canal+ to refresh Canalplay with new content and features, including the introduction of new series, the creation of personal profiles and new recommendation features, and the launch of a downloand-to-go option for offline viewing.

Separately, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos has told French daily Le Figaro that the streaming video service will grow its catalogue in France by 50% over the next 12 months, as it had in other markets.