Canal+ has secured exclusive all-language broadcast rights to every UEFA men's club competition, including the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, across more than 40 sub-Saharan African countries. Spanning four seasons from mid-2027 through 2031, the deal was
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Canal+ secures exclusive Sub-Saharan UEFA rights in sports pivot
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- Theunis Jansen Van Rensburg
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Canal+ has secured exclusive all-language broadcast rights to every UEFA men's club competition, including the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, across more than 40 sub-Saharan African countries. Spanning four seasons from mid-2027 through 2031, the deal was brokered with UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs, via sports agency Relevent. While SuperSport maintains its broadcast role in the region, Canal+ Sport regains full Champions League coverage and adds the Europa and Conference leagues on an exclusive French-language basis across Francophone Africa.
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The acquisition highlights Canal+'s broader operational strategy following its acquisition of MultiChoice Group: prioritizing premium live sports while curtailing expenditure on scripted entertainment. With global streaming platforms offering low-cost film and series libraries, traditional pay-TV providers can no longer command premium subscription fees for drama alone. Conversely, live sports remain the primary driver of subscriber retention and price tolerance, representing a sector where global streaming giants have not yet spent at scale in Africa.
Reflecting this strategy, Canal+ shut down its Showmax streaming platform in April while aggressively securing core sports properties. Recent additions to its portfolio include:
* International & Local Rugby: Domestic SA Rugby rights, the United Rugby Championship, and World Rugby agreements covering the 2027 Men's and 2029 Women's Rugby World Cups.
* Domestic Football: Extension agreements with South Africa's National Soccer League covering the Betway Premiership, MTN8, Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup, and Motsepe Foundation Championship.
The financial logic behind the expansion is underscored by Canal+'s first-half earnings, which showed a 40% revenue increase and a 160% rise in MultiChoice's adjusted EBIT to €143 million. Boosted by the FIFA World Cup, South Africa recorded its best month for new subscriber additions in a decade in June.
Because major tournaments offer only temporary subscriber gains, securing weekly UEFA matches establishes a multi-year floor to maintain engagement and prevent churn. Although rising broadcast rights costs represent a permanent financial commitment, Canal+ is betting that African audiences will consistently pay for top-tier live football long after migrating away from traditional pay-TV entertainment packages.
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