Canal+ Wins Approval to Buy Out Africa’s MultiChoice

France’s Canal+ has secured the last regulatory clearance it needed to take full control of MultiChoice, Africa’s largest pay‑TV company.

On Wednesday, the South African Competition Tribunal approved Canal+’s plan to buy the remaining 55 percent of MultiChoice shares that it does not already own. This decision allows Canal+ to complete the takeover by October 8 at the latest.

Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada said he was thrilled by the news. “This approval clears the way for us to finish the transaction on schedule,” he said. Saada added that joining Canal+ and MultiChoice would create bigger scale, open up fast‑growing markets and deliver cost savings and new opportunities for both companies.

Today, Canal+ serves eight million subscribers in 25 African countries through 16 local subsidiaries. MultiChoice, meanwhile, reaches 14.5 million homes across 50 countries in sub‑Saharan Africa and operates SuperSport and the popular DStv satellite service.

Together, the two groups hope to grow their combined customer base from 27 million to as many as 100 million in the coming years.

Under the deal, Canal+ must make a mandatory offer to buy each remaining MultiChoice share at 125 rand (about €6). This price values MultiChoice at roughly $3 billion (2.6 billion euros). The Competition Tribunal’s approval comes with public‑interest conditions, including about 26 billion rand in commitments over three years and a requirement that MultiChoice keep its headquarters in South Africa.

The news lifted Canal+ shares by 1.3 percent in London trading, extending their 12.8 percent gain so far this year. With this final hurdle cleared, Canal+ is set to close the transaction and become Africa’s leading pay‑TV and entertainment champion.