Canal+ revenues buoyed up by aggressive international expansion

French media giant Vivendi has just released robust results for Q3 2021. Looking specifically at PayTV business Canal+, revenues were up 4.8% for the first nine months of 2021, to €4,249m. For Q3 itself, revenues were up 6.3% to €1.467m.

A key feature of the company’s resilient performance was the contribution of international revenues, following the acquisition of a majority stake in SPI International and a minority stake in MultiChoice South Africa.

Yannick Bolloré

In a statement, Yannick Bolloré, chairman of the supervisory board, and Arnaud de Puyfontaine, chairman of the management board and CEO, said: “Canal+ Group’s business is being driven more by its international operations. After the acquisition of M7 and SPI International, and strong growth in Africa, subscribers outside France now represent more than 60% of the group’s customer base. In addition, in line with its internationalisation strategy, Canal+ Group crossed the 25% level of ownership interest in MultiChoice.”

Canal+ also emphasised the continued importance of sports rights. During the third quarter of 2021, the Group renewed the broadcasting rights in France to the English soccer championship in its entirety for three seasons, starting with the current 2022-2023 season. Canal+ Group also acquired the exclusive rights to the Premier League in its entirety in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, starting with the present season.