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| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 50 rue Camille Desmoulins, 92130,Issy-les-Moulineaux, France |
| Programming | |
| Language | French |
| Picture format | 2160pUHDTV (downscaled to1080i and576i for the HD and SD feeds respectively) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Canal+ |
| History | |
| Launched | 1983; 42 years ago (1983) (company) 4 November 1984; 41 years ago (1984-11-04) (channel) |
| Founder | Léo Scheer André Rousselet Pierre Lescure |
| Links | |
| Website | canalplus.com/canal+ |
Canal+ (French:[kanalplys], meaning "Channel Plus"), also speltCanal Plus and sometimes abbreviatedC+ orCanal, is a French premium television channel owned byCanal+. The channel was launched inParis andIssy-les-Moulineaux on November 4, 1984, and broadcasts toMetropolitan France. It broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostlyencrypted, but some unencrypted content can be viewed free of charge.
Canal+ was co-founded byAndré Rousselet andPierre Lescure. An early pioneer wasAlain de Greef [fr], who joined in 1986.
In 1978, six years before Canal's launch, Jean Frydman, who had the TVCS (Télévision Communication Services) project, was planning a project to launch a fourth television channel in France, which had its roots in the previousCanal 10 project. Whilst waiting for a billing to create an encrypted TV channel, the TVCS project had first planned to produce and broadcast their own programmes during time slots when three French television channels began broadcasting atest card at night and in the morning.[1] One year later in July 1979, it was announced that the channel had chosen to broadcast the programmes produced by public national television channel and the TVCS companyAntenne 2 (now known as France 2) who had broadcast encrypted programmes that were originally intended for businesses or certain professionals.[2]
In March 1984, eight months before the official launch, Canal+ started its retransmission tests in the Île-de-France region. Those first broadcasts were scheduled every day from 2 to 6 p.m. and consisted of music videos, animated short films, and various movie trailers.
Canal+ was launched in November 1984, when there were only three government-owned channels available in France.[3] The company was co-founded byAndré Rousselet, president of the French multinational advertising companyHavas,[3] andPierre Lescure (bornc. 1945), who proved very popular with media professionals and politicians.[4] It got off to a slow start, and some politicians, including prime ministerLaurent Fabius, railed against the idea of having a commercial TV channel. However, Rousselet was a personal friend of the president,François Mitterrand, and so obtained favourable terms for the setup. Pierre Lescure was director-general at that time. A combination of political connections and clever programming – giving the French public American hit comedies and French drama not available on the government channels – worked, and subscriptions soon increased. Government regulations required that the channel give several hours of free programming each day, which was used by Canal+ to promote the subscription service.[3] Its first logo was used from inception until 1995.[citation needed]
The channel initially had to use 45% of its airtime on films until the film industry pushed back. Sport, interview shows, documentaries, andsoft pornography joined films as the main staples of programming at this time.[3] Starting in 1985, Canal+ has had a tradition of showing onepornographic film every month at midnight, generally on the first Saturday of the month.[5] In 1985, the government opened up the market to other private commercial television stations, offering some serious competition. However, aggressive marketing and policies ensured that the company kept growing.[3]
Alain de Greef [fr] (c. 1947 – 29 June 2015) joined in 1986[6] joining his longtime friend Pierre Lescure. De Greef was first appointed director of production, then head of programmes, and finally as director general (1986–2000).[7] De Greef was later described as a pioneer and visionary, who set the tone and created the "Canal Plus spirit", which embodied anti-conformism along with edgy satire that became very popular. He created the satirical puppet showLes Guignols de l'Info and cult talk showsNulle part ailleurs,[6]Groland, andLes Deschiens.[citation needed]
In 1987, Canal+ wentpublic. By 1989, Canal+ had almost three million subscribers. The company expanded into some European markets, notably Belgium, Spain, and Germany, and started setting up subsidiaries as it developed intoGroupe Canal+.[3]
In 1994, Rousselet quit the board and was replaced by director-general Lescure.[3]
Digital satellite providerCanalSat was launched as a wholly owned subsidiary of Canal+ on 6 December 1991. On 27 April 1996, Canal+ received two new sister channels: Canal+ Jaune and Canal+ Bleu.[8] A fourth channel, called Canal+ Vert, came along on 31 August 1998. The channels changed their names to Canal+ Confort (now known as Canal+ Décalé since 2005), Canal+ Cinéma, and Canal+ Sport on 1 November 2003.
In January 2000, theLagardère Group purchased a major stake in the digital television division.[9][10] In December 2000,Vivendi acquired Canal+.[11] In 2001, co-founder Alain De Greef was fired from his position as director-general and replaced byMichel Denisot, when the organisation wasrestructured under the leadership ofJean-Marie Messier, chief executive of Vivendi.[7] Criticism of Vivendi's poor share performance since the takeover grew, and in April 2002, De Greef's co-founder and CEO Pierre Lescure, clashed with Messier and was fired.[4]
An alternative logo was used between 2006 and 2009.
In September 2005, Canal+, Canal+ Cinéma and Canal+ Sport started broadcasting in the Frenchdigital terrestrial television network. Thefree-to-air parts of Canal+ had already been broadcasting for a few months by then. In August 2008, Canal+ started broadcasting theencrypted parts of its main channel in high-definition in the terrestrial network. Canal+ announced plans to turn off theanalogue terrestrial signals by 2010.[12]
In April 2014,Ligue 1, France's topassociation football league, sold broadcast rights for 2016–2020 to Canal+ for 726 millioneuros.[13]
In July 2024, reports emerged that Vivendi was exploring a potential London Stock Exchange listing for Canal+.[14] In December 2024, Canal+ Group was spun-out as independent company.[15] The channel will leave the terrestrial platform in France in June 2025, alongside Canal+ Cinéma, Canal+ Sport and Planète+, as a result of the cut in its agreement with Arcom to keep its licences afloats as a response to the non-renewal of its free-to-air channelC8 by theArcom. Only 70,000 subscribers receive Canal+ in terrestrial.[16] From 6 June 2025,France 4 will take over its slot; from that day, the new digital terrestrial channel plan will be introduced.[17] The number of subscribers has been decreasing to less than 30,000 on its final day of terrestrial broadcasts. Most terrestrial subscribers have easy access to other means where Canal+ can be found, such as satellite, IPTV decoders and smart TVs. Said subscriber base is not affected. Terrestrial subscriptions did not account for its advertising revenue, only its mobile application. The channel alone saved €5-6 million per channel by leaving the terrestrial platform, for an approximate total of €20-24 million.[18]
Canal+ broadcasts toMetropolitan France. Its programming is mostlyencrypted, but some unencrypted programming can be viewed free of charge. The channel does not broadcast advertising, except when broadcasting on free-to-air slots. Almost all foreign films and series can be viewed either in their original language with French subtitles (on a secondary audio channel) or dubbed in French. All programs are subtitled in French for deaf people and those who struggle with hearing. Some programs also have audio description for those who are visually impaired.[citation needed]
Canal+ is a supporter of theHybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) initiative, which promotes and establishes an open European standard for hybrid set-top boxes for the reception of broadcast TV and broadband multimedia applications with a single user interface.[citation needed]
Originally, subscribers would be mailed a code to punch in on their decoder's control panel to view the encrypted service (using theRITC Discret 1 system); the code would be based upon the decoder's serial number (stored in the box's ROM). To avoid problems with customer's codes being not delivered on time by the postal system, Canal+ would switch to encryption based on a generic key, between the last day of the month (beginning at midnight) and the first Monday of the next month (until 9 AM). During this time, all decoders—even those with lapsed subscriptions—would be able to view the channel.[19]
However, signal piracy was rampant, especially after the magazineRadio Plans printed decoder plans in their December 1984 issue. As a result of this, Canal+ switched to the much strongerNagravision encryption system beginning in 1992; the Discret system was fully phased out by 1995. The new decoders utilised smart cards, cut into the shape of a key and inserted into the front of the decoder. Different decoders using theD2-MAC standard were also deployed during this time, mostly for cable subscribers. With the launch of CanalSatellite, theMediaguard encryption system was instituted, created bySECA (Société Européenne de Contrôle d'Accès), a firm owned by Canal+ andBertelsmann; Canal+ eventually bought out Bertelsmann's stake and rebranded SECA as Canal+ Technologies. This firm was sold by 2003 toThomson SA. The MediaGuard system's use in Britain (by the now defunctOnDigital/ITV Digital) led to hackers in the employ ofRupert Murdoch's rival encryption company NDS breaking into the MediaGuard system, resulting in new cards being issued to Canal+ subscribers in 2002 and Canal+ starting legal action against Murdoch. The Nagravision system continued in use until 30 November 2011, when all analog television broadcasting in France ceased.[20][21][22]
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Les Chaînes Canal+ is the offer name regrouping the premium Canal+-branded channels in France.[23] From 2003 to 2008 it was calledCanal+ Le Bouquet.[citation needed]
| Channel | Launched | Notes | Availability | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTT | Satellite | IPTV | Cable | ||||
| Canal+ | 4 November 1984 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 16:9Ultra HD | |
| Canal+ Cinéma(s) | 27 April 1996 | A dedicatedmovie channel, previously known as Canal+ Jaune | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Sport | 31 August 1998 | Asports channel, previously known as Canal+ Vert | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Séries | 21 September 2013 | A channel broadcasting series | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Kids | 9 September 2021 | A channel broadcasting children programmes, series and cartoons, previously known asCanal+ Family | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Docs | A channel broadcasting documentary | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV | |
| Canal+ Grand Écran | 8 February 2022 | A dedicatedmovie channel, with daily themes and meansbig screen | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Sport 360 | 31 August 2022 | Asports channel, previously known as Canal+ Bleu andCanal+ Décalé | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Foot | 31 August 2022 | Asport channel, focused on football | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Box Office | 1 September 2023 | A dedicatedmovie channel, focused on recent cinema hits | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| Canal+ Live | 10 September 2024 | A bouquet ofsports channels part of sports offers, previously known as Kiosque, Ciné+/À La Carte and Multisports | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1080iHDTV |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
