As the company prepares to separate from its parent company Vivendi and become an independent entity listed on the London Stock Exchange, Canal+ Group, through its CEO Maxime Saada, shared its strategic roadmap at its first Capital Markets Day, held at London's iconic Tate Modern museum.
Maxime Saada recounted the unique story of the "first plus," a French media company that has pioneered in many areas and transformed itself into a producer, distributor, and super-aggregator of content, now present in 52 countries.
On this occasion, he also detailed the fundamental principles that guide CANAL+'s strategy:
The appeal of pay TV: "Pay TV is an attractive and rapidly growing market… We have deliberately expanded Canal+ to 52 countries on three continents. The one thing these markets have in common is that they are all growing—for different reasons… but they are all growing. Africa clearly represents significant potential. The acquisition of MultiChoice will, in particular, create cost synergies and position Canal+ as a major player in one of the world's fastest-growing regions.
Controlling expenses: "I've seen competitors come and go. The one thing they all had in common was excessive spending… I believe that you live or die the moment you sign the check. When it comes to content, technology, mergers, and acquisitions, excessive spending is what kills companies in our industry. At Canal+, we don't believe in what some would call 'strategic spending that has no clear positive impact on the P&L.'"
The importance of offering diverse content: "Our multi-content value proposition is unique and is a winning approach for two reasons. First, offering movies, series, sports documentaries, children's programs, combining local and global content, and mixing third-party and internal content allows us to satisfy every member of the household and maximize satisfaction, average revenue per user (ARPU), and loyalty. Second, this diversified multi-content approach allows us to reduce our dependence on any one type of content. For example, during the COVID pandemic, when sports were not available on television, and during the double strike in Hollywood, when the company lacked American originals.
Staying agile and turning rivals into allies: Despite having a presence in more than 50 countries and 27 million subscribers, the company relies on rapid decision-making… I believe that speed is essential, as is the ability to change course when necessary. When subscription video-on-demand platforms appeared, we didn't see them as a threat. We saw an opportunity and seized it. By quickly forming partnerships with streaming giants, the company maintained its competitive advantage… As in judo, we used the strength of others to our advantage in our super-aggregation strategy.
Control distribution and promote the complementarity of local global approaches
Assuming social responsibility: "Our seventh fundamental belief is that, as a media company, Canal+ has a specific responsibility that extends beyond financial performance to include our impact on the environment and society."
In Africa specifically, CANAL+ Impact offers training courses with CANAL+ University, initiatives dedicated to early childhood with Orphée, and solidarity actions with 1 Month 1 Cause.
The Paddington effect: "We believe in Paddington." The Paddington franchise symbolizes CANAL+'s commitment to family-friendly content. The upcoming film Paddington in Peru is a key part of Canal+'s strategy to develop popular franchises that resonate with global audiences.
On December 9, at the Vivendi Group's Combined Shareholders' Meeting, shareholders will vote on the proposed spin-off that will transform the CANAL+ Group into a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.