France’s Canal+ Group has been cleared by the French Competition Authority to finalise its acquisition of telco Orange’s rival pay TV platform OCS and production division Orange Studio.
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.
You are not signed in
Only registered users can comment on this article.
 (1).jpg)
Sociate AI targets the relevance gap in AI-generated advertising
Sociate AI is set to launch a campaign generation platform and demonstrate it at IBC2026, promising to turn emerging audience trends into relevant, ready-to-run campaigns in minutes.
.jpg)
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros pulls out of Eurovision 2027
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros has pulled out of next year's Eurovision Song Contest in protest at Israel's participation amid the war in Gaza.
.jpg)
DAZN renews Serie A rights in UK and Ireland
Sports streamer DAZN has renewed its Serie A rights in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the 2026-27 season.
.jpg)
European and North African broadcasters sign on for Mediterranean Games
A total of 14 broadcasters across 13 countries have teamed up to bring the Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026 to audiences across Europe and North Africa.
.jpg)
Top streamers rein in subscription price rises amid cost-of-living crunch
Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ have started to rein in subscription price increases as consumers reach limits of willingness to pay, according to research from Ampere Analysis.
