In a game-changing move for Africa’s media landscape, French media giant Canal+ has officially taken full control of MultiChoice Group—the parent company of DStv and GOtv—after acquiring the remaining 55% stake it didn’t already own.
The $3 billion (approx. 55 billion rand) deal, approved by South Africa’s Competition Tribunal on July 23, marks one of the largest media mergers in African history.
After months of regulatory scrutiny and intense negotiations, the tribunal’s greenlight paves the way for the deal to close by October 8, 2025. However, the approval came with strict public interest conditions designed to protect South Africa’s media sovereignty, local content production, and employment within the country’s broadcasting industry.
Canal+, which already boasts over eight million subscribers across 25 African nations, now significantly strengthens its foothold on the continent. With this acquisition, the company plans to scale operations to between 50 and 100 million subscribers, targeting Africa’s rapidly growing digital and entertainment markets.
MultiChoice, Africa’s biggest pay-TV broadcaster, operates in over 50 sub-Saharan countries with a subscriber base of 14.5 million. It owns popular platforms like DStv, GOtv, and Showmax, as well as SuperSport, Africa’s premier sports broadcaster. This made it a strategic prize for Canal+, which is expanding its global reach beyond Europe and French-speaking territories.
Speaking about the merger, Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said, “The combined group will benefit from enhanced scale, greater exposure to high-growth markets and the ability to deliver meaningful synergies.”
A key advantage of the merger is the ability to blend Canal+’s French-language content with MultiChoice’s English and Portuguese programming, enabling the creation of a pan-African, multilingual content powerhouse that appeals to a wide and diverse audience.
Financially, the deal offers a much-needed capital injection into MultiChoice, allowing for deeper investment in technology, local productions, and digital platforms. The goal is to drive innovation and position the merged entity as a leader in the streaming and broadcast space across Africa.
To ensure local interests are protected, the Competition Tribunal mandated that Canal+ invest approximately 26 billion rand over the next three years. This funding will support South African content creators, sports broadcasting, and the retention of MultiChoice’s headquarters in South Africa.
In a joint statement, Canal+ and MultiChoice said: “We will maintain funding for South African general entertainment and sports content, providing local content creators with a strong foundation for future success.”
Canal+ first launched its takeover bid in 2023 with a mandatory buyout offer of 125 rand per share, valuing the entire group at around $3 billion. Now, with full ownership in hand, the French conglomerate is poised to reshape Africa’s pay-TV industry, ushering in a new era of innovation, competition, and localized content on the continent.
