Canal+ to launch Ethiopia’s first premium DTH platform

Jacques du Puy

Vivendi-owned French operator Canal+ will launch Ethiopia’s first premium DTH platform at the beginning of 2021.

The platform launch comes as a result of a deal signed between the operator and satellite operator Eutelsat. The deal is a multi-year, multi-transponder contract for Ku capacity on Eutelsat 7C. The satellite entered into service in January 2020 and is co-positioned with Eutelsat 7B at the 7° East position to form a two-satellite constellation.

The pay TV offer will launch with 50 premium channels in a mixture of SD and HD, with a selection of Ethiopia’s F2A channels.

Jacques du Puy, chairman of CANAL+ International said: “We are delighted to launch our DTH pay-Tv offer in Ethiopia relying on the experience of our trusted partner, Eutelsat, in this market. Our new platform, the first such offer in the Ethiopian market, will contribute to the already rich and diverse video landscape in this dynamic market and support our commitment to providing high quality, diverse programming in the African continent, where we are already present in 25 countries.”

Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat Communications said: “We are honored to accompany our long-standing partner CANAL+as it extends its services to the Ethiopian broadcast market which Eutelsat already knows well. This agreement highlights the appetite for high quality and varied programming in this dynamic country as well as throughout the broader African continent, which is the fastest growing satellite broadcast market. It also confirms the relevance of our investments in selected incremental resources to tap growth pockets in emergent video markets.”

This is the second partnership announced by Canal+ this month for the continent, following news of a deal with African utilities firm Bboxx. This deal will see Canal+ will launch a bundled offer in the developing markets of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Togo that will provide customers with a solar home system and a TV with access to more than 100 channels such as A+, France 24 or Trace Africa.