Canal+ France 2018

Abstract

Canal+ is a French audiovisual group created after the launch of its Pay-TV channel in 1984. First premium channel in France, its focus on Cinema and Sports with original and exclusive content made it very successful. However, 30 years after its creation, Canal+ is not the same as it used to be. After decades of good financial health, the group is facing an unprecedent crisis. Vincent Bolloré, who became the major shareholder of Vivendi (which owns Canal+) in June 2014, demanded and obtained the position of director of the board of directors. At that time, Canal+ France (SA) was facing a change of competitive environment with the arrival of new competitors such as Netflix in Cinema and BeIn in Sports which have jeopardized the leader’s positions on the market, resulting in a loss of millions of subscribers. Bolloré restructured the company, changed the strategy, and tried to give a new breath to this dying company. After 4 years, the situation has not really improved. However, Bolloré, confident for the future of the group, stepped down from his position of chairman of the media giant on April 2018. His successor, Maxime Saada, must now take over and decide which direction to take. His objective is clear: he wants to double the number of direct subscribers of Canal+ SA to reach 10 million. He knows that the future of Canal+ is questioned, and that his role will be crucial in the next few months. Is the French company out of danger as claimed by its former Chairman or will Canal+ be facing its inevitable failure?

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