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Group Profile |
Businesses
| Litigation | Risk Factors
Canal+ Group
Canal+ Group maintains an exclusive relationship with its subscribers,
from activation to termination.
In the winter of 2014, it launched the development of a proprietary
network by setting up temporary boutiques and “pop-up” shops in major
retail centers in France.
As part of its distribution activities, the group also markets some of its
special-interest channels through third-party distributors, particularly
ISPs, which integrate the channels into their own pay-TV offerings.
With 6.1 million individual subscribers in mainland France as of
December 31, 2014, Canal+ Group holds the largest portfolio of pay-TV
customers.
Internationally, the group adapts its distribution strategy to the specific
features of each market.
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2.1.2.4. New Services
Canal+ Group is a digital pioneer and a pioneer of new television services
in Europe, particularly video-on-demand, set-top boxes and multi-screen
distribution. In 2014, the group continued to expand its online presence.
Video-on-Demand
In the fall of 2011, Canal+ Group created Canalplay, a platform for
unlimited video-on-demand by subscription. Canalplay offers a catalog of
more than 10,000 titles, including 2,000 movies, more than 4,000 series
episodes and 4,000 children’s programs. This service is available on
television via ADSL, satellite and DVB (Le Cube set-top boxes), as well
as on a second screen (computers, smartphones and tablets). Offered
without commitment, independently of any subscription to Canal+ or
Canalsat, the offer consists of multiple services (including high-definition,
French version/subtitled original version, personalized recommendations
and download for unconnected viewing) at no additional cost. As of
December 31, 2014, Canalplay had 600,000 pay subscribers.
Set-Top Boxes
Set-top boxes used by households subscribing to Canal+ Group’s offers
now have an Internet connection that allows them to access a broad
range of services: catch-up TV, the Eurêka recommendation engine based
on viewer consumer data, and an innovative program guide. These set-top
boxes, all pre-installed with a hard disk save option, feature a particularly
fluid and ergonomic user interface. Canal+ Group has rolled out a new
version of its DBV set-top boxes which allows viewers to receive the
entire Canalsat package as well as all related connected services through
a hybrid DBV/Internet service.
The Multi-Screen Experience
In December 2013, Canal+ Group launched myCanal, a unique web portal
where subscribers can find all content linked to their subscription, direct
or on demand, as well as all related services (including customized TV,
personalized recommendations, remote downloads, management of the
set-top box via tablet and download functions). Since its launch, myCanal
has hit the 3.5 million download mark, and is used by more than one
million subscribers every month. It was ranked second in free iPad apps
by Apple in 2014.
Internet
Committed to a policy to expand the broadcasting of its content online,
Canal+ Group announced the launch of a multi-channel network on
YouTube in December 2013. One year later, Canal+ Group has become the
leading French media network on YouTube, with more than 50 “channels”
offering programming from Canal+, D8 and i>Télé, along with original
content produced in particular by Studio Bagel. Studio Bagel, the leading
comedy channel network on YouTube, has been majority-owned by
Canal+ Group since early 2014. The aim of this operation is to reach new
audiences, including the youngest viewers, to discover new talent, and
to test innovative video formats. 100 million videos have been watched
on these channels combined and they have attracted nearly 12 million
subscribers.
2.1.3.
Free-to-air TV
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2.1.3.1. Free Channel Division
Canal+ Group has historically operated in free-to-air TV with the
unscrambled programs from Canal+, particularly in the early evening,
and the 24-hour news channel i>Télé. In 2012, it created a free-to-air
division, which includes the general interest channel D8 and the music
channel D17.
These three channels, broadcast by DVB, are available throughout France
to virtually the entire French population. They are also included in the TV
packages of satellite operators, ADSL, cable and other operators. All of
their revenue is derived from advertising.
With a market share of 3.3%, D8 was ranked fifth national channel at
year-end 2014, and i>Télé closed the year with a historic audience record
(0.9%), despite a larger DVB offer (26 channels since year-end 2013), and
a TV market that was down overall.
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2.1.3.2. Canal+ Régie
Canal+ Régie is the exclusive advertising arm of the Canal+ Group and is
wholly-owned by the group. It sells advertising on the Canal+ channels
(unscrambled programs), i>Télé, D8, and D17, as well as on their YouTube
spin-offs. Canal+ Régie also operates eight of the group’s special-
interest channels and the group’s websites, including canalplus.fr, Studio
Bagel and OFF.tv from Universal Music France. It is also the exclusive
advertising agency of the UGC cinemas network. Its sales and marketing
innovations provide Canal+ Group with advertising revenues that have
been increasing, despite a difficult economic environment.
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Annual Report 2014