Canal+ secures raft of football rights for Africa

Pay TV operator Canal+ has secured the African rights to key international and French football competitions for the next few seasons in a move that bolsters its pay TV offering in the French-speaking parts of the continent.

Canal+ said it had now struck deals to acquire the African rights to the UEFA Champions League for three seasons from this year, along with rights to the FIFA World Cup in Russia later this year.

Canal+ also has the rights to French Ligue 1 football for the next six seasons, along with Ligue 2 rights, the Coupe de la Ligue and the Trophée des Champions. African Canal+ subscribers will also be able to view the Coupe de France de Football tournament from 2018-22.

In addition to non-African football, Canal+ also has the rights to the bi-annual Africa Cup of Nations, kicking off with the 2019 tournament in Cameroon.

In addition to these recent acquisitions, Canal+ en Afrique also offers coverage of other national leagues such as the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga.

“We are delighted to strengthen the international and African football offering for our subscribers, this sport being one of the most popular programmes at the heart of our bouquets,” said Jacqued du Puy, president of Canal+ Overseas.

“Canal+ today is incontestably the greatest sports arena in Africa, and the totality of these acquisitions allows us to offer to our viewrs a unique quality spectacle all year long.”

In Africa, Canal+ offers four Canal+ Sport channels and the recently-launched A+ Sport channel.