Canal+ Afrique, originallyCanal+ Horizons orCanal Horizons, is an African version of subscription TV providerCanal+. It was originally available mainly in thefrancophone countries ofCentral andWest Africa, as well as some non-francophone countries such as Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, andCape Verde, but has expanded considerably since its first broadcasts in December 1991.Groupe Canal+ has its biggest market in Africa since its acquisition of South African providerMultiChoice in September 2025.
On 18 April 1990, Canal+ Horizons (also referred to as Canal Horizons) was launched as an African subsidiary of the French subscription television service Canal+.[1] Canal+ presidentAndré Rousselet headed the organisation from January 1991 until December 1993, when former French communications ministerCatherine Tasca was appointed. At that time, channel had 25,998 subscribers, mostly in Tunisia and Senegal.[2] Canal Horizons was modelled on the FrenchCanal+ TV channel, starting itsterrestrial broadcasting service in December 1991.[1] In November 1992 it started offering direct-to-homesatellite broadcasting, which was capable of reaching theMiddle East.[2]
In January 1994, Canal Horizons started broadcasting in the Ivory Coast.[2]
In the 2010s, Canal+ transitioned from theNSS-7 satellite, which provided limited coverage in West Africa, to a newSES-4 satellite, which had reach further south and eastwards towards theGreat Lakes. By December 2018, there were 4 million subscribers in Africa, making the Canal+ Group the leading pay TV operator on the continent. By then, it was broadcastinghigh-definition channels across Africa, even in remote locations. Its reach was around 40% of TV households, with the whole Canal+ Group's offerings including over 200 channels, radio stations, and other services, while the Canal+ Afrique's platform offered more than 50 channels.[3]
On 30 June 2023, the Canal+ Group bought 144.2 million shares (32.6% of the capital) in the South African subscription providerMultiChoice, which, with 20 million subscribers, is the market leader in English andPortuguese-speaking Africa. Their main competitor on the continent is the Chinese-ownedStarTimes; however, estimated audience shares by 2028 are 32 million for Canal+/MultiChoice and 19 million for StarTimes.[4]
Canal+ Afrique had 8.1 million subscribers at the end of 2023.[5]
According toBloomberg, "Canal+ Afrique operates as a TV channel [and] broadcasts cinemas, sports, music, serials, movies, news, discovery programs, and other entertainment activities".[6]
As of May 2024[update], Canal+ operates in more than 25 countries in Africa through 16 subsidiaries and provides access to over 400 channels.[a][5]
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CANAL+ offers an English-dedicated package (English Plus) courtesy ofDStv fromMultiChoice providing a selection of over 15 channels across specific genres. These include:
Some channels from DStv are part of Canal+ Afrique's usual package offerings and/or in the DStv English Plus package, depending on geographical location. These include:
Mainland countries