Canal+ and Orange create 50/50 JV for movie channels

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Canal+ and Orange create 50/50 JV for movie channels


Pay TV operator Canal+ and Orange France are to create a 50/50 joint venture to merge Orange’s Cinéma Series channels with Canal Plus-owned TPS Star.

According to the pair, the venture will combine Canal Plus’s editorial expertise with Orange’s technology delivering interactive elements and multi-platform distribution.

The new service will be called Orange Ciné Star, which will be marketed as a premium service by both operators via Orange’s IPTV and satellite networks and the CanalSat platform. The channel will also be available to third-party operators.

Orange and Canal Plus have agreed to maintain the existing four Orange Cinéma Series channels – Orange ciné happy, Orange ciné choc, Orange ciné novo and Orange ciné géants. The two companies have also committed to respect their obligations to support French cinema production.

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Canal Plus and Orange aim to stem losses with movie channel JV
20 Jan 11 -

Pay TV operator Canal Plus and Orange France aim to stem the losses from their premium movie offerings by creating the 50/50 joint venture combining Orange’s Cinéma Series channels with Canal Plus-owned TPS Star that was announced yesterday.

France Télécom/Orange has struggled to attract a critical mass of subscribers to the cinema service, which counts 494,000 subscribers, while the TPS Star service has about 600,000 subscribers. The latter channel will be merged with Orange Cinemax to create Orange Ciné Star, which will be marketed as a premium service by both operators via Orange’s IPTV and satellite networks and the CanalSat platform. The channel will also be available to third-party operators.

The new partners said that the channel would have a programming budget of €100 million, and would be distributed via all platforms, including digital-terrestrial, for a price of between €10-15 a month. Orange’s other channels, Ciné Happy, Ciné Choc, Ciné Novo and Ciné Géants, will be run by the joint venture alongside the main channel. Each partner will have the right of first refusal to acquire the other’s share if one party seeks to exit. The deal will be subject to approval by European and French regulators. France Télécom CEO Stéphane Richard said that he would be satisfied if the deal was finalized by the end of this year.

According to the pair, the venture will combine Canal Plus’s editorial expertise with Orange’s technology delivering interactive elements and multi-platform distribution.

The two companies have also sought to make assurances that they will continue to provide a high level of support for French cinema production.