Canal+ wins approval for acquisition of Orange’s pay-TV platform OCS

However, the French Competition Authority has made the transaction subject to certain commitments by Canal+.

Before the deal, Canal+ was a joint shareholder with Orange in French pay-TV platform OCS with a 33.3% stake. It will now become the sole owner of the business.

The Competition Authority found that the transaction could have had a significant impact on the diversity of French cinema by creating a single buyer situation in certain markets.

As a result, Canal+ has committed to maintain an OCS/Ciné+ acquisition team dedicated to pre-purchasing first-pay-window French films from French producers, separate from that of Canal+.

Canal+ has also committed to make, on behalf of the Ciné+/OCS team, pre-purchase proposals for a minimum of 25 French film projects over five years.

Orange and the Canal+ Group signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the acquisition of OCS and Orange Studio by the Canal+ Group back in January 2023.

Orange Studio has more than 200 co-productions to its credit as well as a catalogue of nearly 1,800 audiovisual and cinematographic works, including Oscar-winning films such as The Artist and The Father.