Canal+ extends SES satellite partnership through 2040
October 27, 2026 08.00 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Canal+ has extended its satellite capacity partnership with SES through 2040, securing distribution across Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

The multi-year agreement covers capacity at several satellite neighbourhoods, extending a relationship dating back to 1995. However, the companies have not disclosed the contract’s financial value, the number of transponders involved or the satellites and orbital positions covered.

Stéphane Baumier, Chief Technology Officer of Canal+, said: “This new agreement supports our long-term growth and provides the flexibility and reliability required as we continue to expand our international footprint and serve an increasingly diverse subscriber base.”

The announcement provides less operational and financial detail than the partners’ previous major renewal in October 2020. That agreement added more than €230 million to SES’s secured backlog and covered services reaching over 10 million subscribers through the end of the decade.

The earlier deal specified capacity at 19.2° East for Canal+ and TNTSAT in France, at 19.2° East and 23.5° East for M7’s European platforms, and on SES-4 at 22° West for Canal+ Afrique. The latest announcement does not confirm how those arrangements will evolve under the extension.

Deepak Mathur, President Media Vertical at SES, said: “This agreement demonstrates the enduring importance of satellite in reliably delivering high-quality content to a global audience and highlights the strength of our partnership.”

The Canal+ agreement follows Sky’s satellite capacity renewal with SES, reported by Broadband TV News in September. That deal extends distribution at 28.2° East for UK and Irish households into the next decade, alongside Sky’s continued development of its internet-delivered Glass and Stream services.

Sky’s renewal similarly omitted a financial value and transponder count, although it did identify the orbital position. Unlike Canal+’s commitment through 2040, it did not specify an expiry year.