{"id":85631,"date":"2025-07-23T10:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T10:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/85631\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T10:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T10:01:09","slug":"canals-takeover-of-multichoice-group-gets-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/85631\/","title":{"rendered":"Canal+&#8217;s Takeover Of MultiChoice Group Gets Approval"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/canal-2\/\" id=\"auto-tag_canal-2\" data-tag=\"canal-2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Canal+<\/a>\u2018s long-running takeover of African content giant <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/multichoice\/\" id=\"auto-tag_multichoice\" data-tag=\"multichoice\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MultiChoice<\/a> has moved a step closer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe South African Competition Tribunal has approved the deal, subject to \u201cagreed conditions,\u201d which include maintaining local funding for South African general entertainment and sports content and providing local creators with opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tPaddington owner Canal+ and MultiChoice released a statement via the Johannesburg Stock Exchange saying they are still working to the planned October 8 completion date. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tFrance-based Canal+, which already owns over a third of MultiChoice, is due to pay 35 billion rand ($2B) to acquire the business, with shares valued at 125 rand each. The agreement values MultiChoice at around 55 billion rand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cThe approval by South Africa\u2019s Competition Tribunal marks the final stage in the South African competition process and clears the way for us to conclude the transaction in line with our previously communicated timeline,\u201d said Maxime Saada, CEO of Canal+, which listed in London earlier this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tCanal+ has been seeking to build out its business in Africa, in particular English-speaking markets, and has invested in several drama series as it built its stake in MultiChoice. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cIt is a hugely positive step forward in our journey to bring together two iconic media and entertainment companies and create a true champion for Africa. I\u2019m excited about the potential this transaction unlocks for all stakeholders, notably South African consumers, creative businesses and the nation\u2019s sporting ecosystem. The combined group will benefit from enhanced scale, greater exposure to high-growth markets and the ability to deliver meaningful synergies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tFor the South African business, the new owner would put it on a more stable financing footing and likely supercharge its spending power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tCalvo Mawela, CEO of MultiChoice Group, added: \u201cThe announcement marks a significant milestone and is a major step forward for both companies. It reflects the strength of our strategic vision and our ongoing commitment to continue uplifting the communities where we operate. We look forward to executing the remaining processes required to complete the transaction and to start building something extraordinary: A global media and entertainment company with Africa at its heart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tCanal+ made its offer for MultiChoice \u2013 which owns linear channels, streamer Showmax and production assets \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2024\/03\/canal-plus-ups-buyout-offer-multichoice-africa-1235845847\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in March last year<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2024\/02\/vivendi-canal-plus-group-acquire-african-entertainment-multichoice-1235810717\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a first bid a month before had been rejected<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe Paris-based company <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2024\/12\/canal-plus-london-stock-exchange-debut-1236204431\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spun off from its former parent<\/a>, Vivendi, in December and listed on the London Stock Exchange, becoming the first media company to do so in several years. Shares are currently trading at 228p ($3.09), as the new today led to a small uptick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canal+\u2018s long-running takeover of African content giant MultiChoice has moved a step closer. The South African Competition Tribunal&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":85632,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[57827,171,308,57861,57862,173,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-85631","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-canal","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ma","11":"tag-mergers","12":"tag-multichoice","13":"tag-tv","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114901973958000257","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}