Canal+ Acquires Multichoice Group, Owners of DSTV for $3 Billion
French media conglomerate Canal+ has officially secured full ownership of MultiChoice Group, the South African broadcasting giant behind DStv and GOtv, in a landmark deal worth $3 billion (approximately 55 billion rand).
The final approval was granted by South Africa’s Competition Tribunal on Wednesday, July 23, paving the way for the transaction’s completion by October 8, 2025.
The acquisition gives Canal+ the remaining 55% stake in MultiChoice that it did not previously own, following a months-long process of regulatory scrutiny and intense negotiations. While the Tribunal approved the deal, it attached several public interest conditions aimed at safeguarding South Africa’s media sovereignty and supporting local content creation.
For Canal+, the deal marks a major strategic expansion into Africa’s fast-growing media and entertainment market. The French broadcaster, which already operates in 25 African countries with a subscriber base exceeding eight million, is now set to significantly broaden its footprint across the continent, with an ambitious target of reaching between 50 and 100 million subscribers in the coming years.
MultiChoice brings with it a dominant market position, boasting over 14.5 million subscribers across 50 sub-Saharan African countries and control of some of the continent’s leading pay-TV platforms. Its extensive portfolio includes the popular SuperSport network, which has long been a cornerstone of sports broadcasting in Africa.
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada hailed the acquisition as a “transformative moment” for the group. “The combined entity will benefit from enhanced scale, greater exposure to high-growth markets, and the ability to deliver meaningful synergies. Together, we are better equipped to serve the evolving media needs of African audiences,” Saada stated.
A key strategic benefit of the merger is the potential to integrate Canal+’s strong French-language content offerings with MultiChoice’s robust English and Portuguese programming—forming a truly multilingual media powerhouse across the continent.
The acquisition is also expected to inject much-needed capital into MultiChoice, allowing for deeper investment in local content production, technological innovation, and digital infrastructure. The move comes at a time when Africa’s media landscape is rapidly shifting toward streaming and on-demand consumption.
In line with the Competition Tribunal’s approval conditions, Canal+ has committed to invest approximately 26 billion rand over the next three years in initiatives that support South Africa’s public interest goals. These include preserving MultiChoice’s South African headquarters, maintaining and growing investment in local entertainment and sports programming, and ensuring continued support for South African content creators.
In a joint statement, Canal+ and MultiChoice reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening the South African media ecosystem: “We are committed to sustaining and growing our support for South African general entertainment and sports content. This deal represents a new chapter of opportunity for local talent and audiences alike.”
Canal+ initiated its takeover bid in 2023 with a mandatory buyout offer of 125 rand per share, valuing MultiChoice at around $3 billion. With full control now secured, the French media giant is poised to reshape the future of pay-TV in Africa, leveraging its expanded footprint and diverse content offerings to capture a broader and more varied audience.
As the final stages of the merger unfold in the coming months, industry stakeholders will be watching closely to see how this consolidation reshapes the competitive dynamics of African broadcasting.
