Canal+, the new owner of Multichoice Group, plans to hire more than 1,000 salespersons across Africa as part of efforts to expand its subscriber base, less than a week after announcing plans to discontinue its streaming platform, Showmax.
The development was reported by Reuters, which cited the French media group’s latest financial update released on Wednesday.
According to the report, Canal+ also disclosed that its annual core profit exceeded earlier guidance, signalling stronger-than-expected financial performance for the year.
What they are saying
Canal+ said its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for 2025 came in at 527 million euros ($613 million), surpassing the company’s earlier forecast of 515 million euros.
- To deepen its reach in Africa following its acquisition of MultiChoice Group, the company said it would recruit more than 1,000 salespeople across African markets as part of a 100-million-euro expansion plan aimed at boosting subscriber growth.
- The hiring push forms part of a broader restructuring effort at MultiChoice, whose subscriber base slipped from 14.9 million to 14.4 million in 2025.
At the same time, Canal+ said it would introduce a voluntary severance programme for certain support functions within the MultiChoice business.
Backstory
The hiring plan follows Canal+’s full acquisition of MultiChoice, a deal that significantly expanded the French broadcaster’s footprint in global pay-television markets.
- The transaction, finalised in September last year, was valued at about $3 billion and brought together two major players in the television and streaming industry.
- With the takeover completed, the combined group now serves more than 40 million subscribers across nearly 70 countries spanning Africa, Europe, and Asia, while employing roughly 17,000 people.
Canal+ has also indicated that it will outline a detailed integration strategy, including operational synergies and growth plans, during a strategic update scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.
What you should know
On March 5, Nairametrics reported that Canal+ planned to discontinue Showmax, the streaming platform previously operated by MultiChoice, as part of a broader cost-cutting strategy.
- The platform, launched in August 2015, was designed as a pan-African streaming service competing with global platforms such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
However, Showmax struggled to achieve profitability. In its last financial results before the Canal+ takeover, MultiChoice disclosed that trading losses from the platform had expanded by 88%, while revenue generated from the service declined.
