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“We start 2026 from a position of strength, clarity and confidence,” says Maxime Saadeh, CEO of Canal+. “We are now moving into the implementation phase of our strategy.”
Canal+ on Wednesday revealed its focus on improving profits in its European business and a “turnaround” at recently acquired pay-TV giant MultiChoice, including a focus on profitable growth and “re-energising subscriber growth” following recent news that it will close its streaming platform Showmax. Reporting its full-year 2025 results, StudioCanal’s parent company also revealed two major AI partnerships and “an ambitious new partnership with Sky to develop English-language drama”, saying: “Sky and Canal+ share the same storytelling DNA and are driving the development of globally successful intellectual property.”
On the AI side, starting in June, Canal+ will “roll out a significant evolution of the Canal+ app using technology from OpenAI to enhance content search and discovery,” Canal+ said. “This new feature represents a major breakthrough in delivering a more intuitive, smarter and personalized user experience.”
Additionally, Google Cloud and Canal+ have entered into a multi-year partnership focused on AI. Starting in June, Canal+ will deploy “the latest Google Cloud-generated AI technology across European and African markets where the Canal+ app is available, opening up a new era of creative possibilities for the group,” the company said, promising a “tailored entertainment experience powered by Google Cloud content video indexing.” He explained that using Google Cloud technologies will help the company “accelerate the indexing of video content for its comprehensive content library.” “
Maxime Saadeh, CEO of Canal+, said: “We start 2026 from a position of strength, clarity and confidence. We are now moving into the implementation phase of our strategy.”
He continued: “In Europe, we will continue to focus on improving profitability. In Africa, we will ensure that we are well placed to capitalize on the continent’s growth potential and transition to MultiChoice. We expect Canal+ to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange soon, in what will be an important moment for our company.”
In terms of content, the company will “continue to enhance our entertainment platform and content mix, as we did by acquiring a majority stake in [Italian producer and distributor] Lucky Red. At a group level, Canal+ will “deliver on the synergies generated by our new scale, maintain our focus on cost discipline, and deploy AI tools to improve our operational efficiency and entertainment platform, through our newly announced partnerships with Google Cloud and OpenAI.”
Canal+ also said on Wednesday that its full-year 2025 financials met or exceeded management’s expectations when excluding the MultiChoice acquisition. For 2026, the company expects €735 million of adjusted earnings before interest and tax, and more than €250 million of free cash flow, “before paying the VAT settlement and other restructuring costs.”
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