A deal will be exceptionally difficult – if not impossible – to get over the line. So, why is Canal+ pursuing control of MultiChoice?on Africa’s broadcasting industry on Thursday, announcing a firm interest in acquiring South African-listed MultiChoice Group, the parent of DStv, SuperSport, Showmax and GOtv. The move, described by Canal+ as a “non-binding indicative offer to acquire all of the issued ordinary shares of MultiChoice that it does not already own”, could result in a firm offer.
But a deal will be exceptionally difficult – if not impossible – to get over the line. Canal+ is already a significant player on the continent, though it’s reach is mostly limited to Francophone Africa The answer may lie not so much in South Africa, where restrictions on foreign media ownership make a transaction exceedingly difficult, but in the opportunity across the rest of the continent. The future of African television is being built now, and Canal+ wants to lead it. It can’t do it on its ow