Canal subscriber growth continues
MARCH 3, 2021 20.46 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

The resurgence of Canal Plus continues with the French pay-TV concern’s total subscriber base growing by another half million.

As of December 2020, Canal recorded 21.8 million subscribers, compared to 20.3 million at the end of December 2019.

Revenues of €5,498 million were up 4.4% compared to 2019.

Pay-TV in mainland France recorded a net increase of its total subscriber base of 262,000 over the past 12 months.

But is was the integration of the M7 group that helped grow international operations by 19.8%.

It has been a significant year for Canal at home and abroad. Since Disney+ launched in France on April 7, 2020, it has been the streaming service’s exclusive distributor. Canal+ Group now holds 12% of the share capital in South Africa’s MultiChoice.

On Tuesday, Canal secured the broadcast rights to the National Rugby League in France until the end of the 2026-2027 season.