Canal+: “It can be fixed” says Bolloré
May 17, 2016
By Chris Forrester
Vivendi boss Vincent Bolloré has given a very rare interview to French business newspaper Les Echos, and makes it clear that the Canal Plus premium channel can be saved and was a priority for Vivendi. He said: “Canal Plus will be fixed provided our current agreement with (beIN Sport) is accepted and efficiency measures (within the channel and Group) are implemented.”
According to equity analysts at Exane/BNP-Paribas, he then amplified his views, saying: “Canal went through a reckoning phase last year, then a new team was put in place, and we know which direction to take. It will be a long term process, but the worst is behind.”
Bolloré then listed his objectives, saying:
- investment in original content;
- better segmentation with lower entry price points and more premium offers;
- simplification of complex offering;
- cooperation with beIN Sport;
- cost efficiencies;
- Less free available content (a unique feature of Canal, not found anywhere else in the world) to make the pay offer more attractive. For instance Canal could start broadcasting a soccer game for free and then move it to the pay window. other existing content on the free window of Canal+ could be transferred to the FTA channels.
Bolloré confirmed last week’s report that news channel i>Télé is not for sale.