French broadcaster Canal Plus has unveiled a rebranding initiative for its pay-television and free-to-air channels as it seeks to bolster its position in the market.
Under the plan entitled “the new Canal” the broadcaster said it will form a set of four “national reference chains” with complementary models and clear editorial lines communicated around a common denominator – the Canal brand.
For the first time in the group's history, Canal channels will transform under a common brand belonging to the same family. Pay-television channel Canal Plus will be at the heart of the initiative, with the broadcaster promising 150 hours of additional exclusive content, including more sport, that characterise the editorial line and tone of Canal Plus.
Canal Plus pointed to its sports content, which will include one extra Ligue 1 football match per day, with 114 games on offer in total in 2016-17 against 76 last season. Canal Plus also holds rights to the entire season of the Formula One motor racing championship and golf competitions including the European Tour, the Masters and the 2018 Ryder Cup, which will be hosted in France.
Last month, Canal Plus retained rights for the Top 14, the top division of rugby union in the country. The new deal will run for four seasons, from 2019-20 to 2022-23. Canal Plus is set to pay a total of €388m ($437.7m), or €97m per season, for the rights. Canal Plus also said it will create a new magazine programme dedicated to esports.
Meanwhile, its three free-to-air channels – D8, D17 and iTélé – will be rebranded. News channel iTélé will now be known as C News, general entertainment channel D8 will continue as C8, and music channel D17 will be renamed CStar. The premium Canal Plus channel will reduce the number of ‘open window’ programmes, which it broadcasts unencrypted, to just two hours a day.
The changes come after Canal Plus general manager Maxime Saada last week revealed that the broadcaster has lost 500,000 subscribers since 2012, adding that the number is expected to fall below four million before the end of 2016. Losses at the group are expected to hit €400m in 2016 with the total debt of the group having now reached €1bn.
Also last week, French newspaper Le Figaro said Vincent Bolloré will step down as Canal Plus chairman this summer in order to focus his attention on French media company Vivendi, the parent company of Canal Plus. Bolloré is also chairman of Vivendi and Le Figaro said he is expected to find a place on the Canal Plus board for his son Yannick, chief executive and chairman of communications company Havas, either this year or next at the latest.