Canal+ Group to acquire majority stake in SPI International

CANAL+ will acquire a 70% majority stake in SPI International while keeping the current management team and operational structure in place.

SPI INTERNATIONAL, a global media company operating 42 TV channels and multiple digital products across six continents, and a major player in content distribution and broadcasting worldwide, is now joining forces with Canal+ Group.

CANAL+ Group is a leading world pay-TV operator and major player in free-to-air television in France. CANAL+ has a wide international footprint with a presence in 40 countries in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Europe, CANAL+ has a strong presence in mainland France and Poland and has also acquired the M7 Group platform in 2019. The Group totals 22 million subscribers worldwide and has experienced a continuous growth of its international business in recent years. This acquisition will help CANAL+ to expand its strategy of investing in content and reinforce its offers on its different markets, by relying on European leader Studiocanal, Kino Świat in Poland, and now SPI INTERNATIONAL.

In the context of this agreement, which will enable complementary know-how and skills to be combined, SPI’s Founder and CEO Loni Farhi & Berk Uziyel will continue to manage and develop SPI’s business with the support of their executive committee, while the parties will be able to generate reciprocal synergies to further strengthen the two groups’ presence in the international markets.

In a joint statement, Loni Farhi & Berk Uziyel, underlined: “It is very exciting news and the start of a new era for SPI INTERNATIONAL. CANAL+ and SPI share a common vision for continuous growth and a strong international presence. We have been strategic partners for years, where we have built a great tradition of collaborations and achieving mutual goals. Now we will have the chance to join forces under one roof. SPI will further accelerate its growth with CANAL+ while leveraging natural synergies. SPI INTERNATIONAL has an amazingly talented team that has produced incredible growth in the last decade. Now, with this great team and with much enthusiasm, we are delighted to become part of the CANAL+ family. Our joined forces will strengthen the existing entertainment products and expand the distribution of our compelling content to far larger audiences.”

For Maxime Saada, CEO of CANAL+ Group: “The acquisition of SPI INTERNATIONAL is a is part of the strategy we have been implementing for several years CANAL+ currently has 22 million subscribers in over 40 countries, including 15 in Europe. We have set ourselves the goal of reaching a minimum of 30 million subscribers by 2025, and SPI INTERNATIONAL will certainly be a key asset in achieving this ambition.”

Jacques du Puy, CEO of CANAL+ International said: “We are very pleased to welcome SPI to our group. This acquisition marks a new strategic step for the development of our European contents. It will be a great opportunity to develop new synergies and businesses for our activities, especially in the Polish market and in the Central and Eastern European countries where CANAL+ operates through M7 brands.”

The completion of the transaction is, of course, subject to the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities in the territories concerned (including in particular the authorities responsible for antitrust and merger control).

About CANAL+ GROUP

CANAL+ Group is a leading media company and pay-TV operator. It is also a leading player in French free-to-air television. CANAL+ Group has a wide international footprint with a presence in Europe, Africa and Asia. CANAL+ Group totals 21.8 million subscribers worldwide, including 8.7 million in mainland France. With STUDIOCANAL and KINO SWIAT, CANAL+ Group is also a European leader in the production, acquisition and distribution of feature films and TV series. CANAL+ Group is wholly-owned by worldwide integrated content, media and communication group, Vivendi.

About SPI INTERNATIONAL

SPI INTERNATIONAL is a global media company operating 42 TV channels, multiple digital products across six continents, and a major player in content distribution and broadcasting worldwide.

SPI was founded 28 years ago and has extensive experience in the TV and broadcasting industry. The company operates multiple free to air and pay TV channels in CEE, Western Europe, CIS and Ex-Yugo regions including key European markets such as Poland, Czechia, Romania, Serbia, the Netherlands and Russia. SPI is one of the premier movie service providers in the countries where it operates, with FilmBox being its flagship movie service. SPI Group owns a suite of legacy brands that have become household names such as FilmBox, Film1, Kino Polska, Stopklatka, Dizi along with different thematic channels and streaming services.
SPI’s brands reach millions of households through operators, partner platforms and SPI’s own digital products globally. Working with over 700 operators worldwide, SPI uses cutting edge technology providing its subscribers with access to SPI’s linear and on-demand content and FilmBox+ service that has over one million subscribers. The company recently launched a new digital service, Dizi, a state-of-the-art aggregator of the best Turkish series worldwide. SPI also owns and operates the brand assets of Film1 premium movie services in The Netherlands, including four linear channels and an on-demand service.

For over 25 years, SPI INTERNATIONAL has been a leading supplier of theatrical films and television programming in the international markets. SPI’s solid alliances with major license suppliers provide compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand.

For more information please contact:
SPI/FilmBox: [email protected]