When Canal+ closed its takeover of MultiChoice in mid-2025, it inherited Africa’s largest pay-TV business at a moment of crisis. The entertainment company had just reported on a loss of up to 2.8 million active linear subscribers over the past two financial years.1
This revelation was underscored the mounting pressure on its traditional DStv business amid rising content costs and intensifying competition from global streaming platforms.
Stabilising subscriber numbers and protecting premium content became an immediate priority for the French media group.
Warner Bros. Discovery Channels Face Removal From DStv
In December 2025, MultiChoice warned DStv subscribers that it could be forced to remove twelve Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) channels from its bouquets after months of stalled negotiations over pricing and contract terms.
Without a new agreement, the channels were set to disappear from DStv on 1 January 2026, raising concerns among subscribers about the loss of key entertainment, lifestyle, and children’s programming.
The channels at risk included:
- Cartoon Network
- Cartoonito
- CNN
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery Family
- Food Network
- HGTV
- Investigation Discovery (ID)
- Real Time
- TLC
- TNT Africa
- Travel Channel
Beyond linear television, the negotiations also covered the licensing of movies and series for distribution across MultiChoice’s broader ecosystem, including M-Net, DStv Stream, and Showmax.
Why HBO Content Matters to MultiChoice
A major sticking point in the talks was access to HBO programming, which remains one of MultiChoice’s strongest retention tools in a market increasingly sensitive to price and content value.
As of December 2025, Showmax’s Best of HBO catalogue featured more than 190 titles, including global hits such as The Last of Us and House of the Dragon. These premium series have historically helped reduce churn among higher-value DStv and streaming subscribers.
Warner Bros. Discovery also controls several valuable franchises with long-term audience appeal, including Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and the DC Comics universe.
Losing access to this content would have significantly weakened MultiChoice’s competitive position across both linear and streaming platforms.
Industry Uncertainty Adds Pressure to Negotiations
The talks unfolded against a backdrop of wider uncertainty within the global media industry. Warner Bros. Discovery has been widely reported to be reviewing its international strategy and asset portfolio as consolidation reshapes the streaming and broadcast landscape.
This strategic reassessment likely contributed to the protracted nature of negotiations with Canal+ and MultiChoice, as both sides weighed long-term distribution value against rising production and licensing costs.
Canal+ Closes the Deal at the Eleventh Hour
Just one day before the scheduled channel removals, Canal+ and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a new multi-year, multi-territory agreement, bringing immediate relief to DStv subscribers.
The expanded deal covers:
- Continued distribution of several Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels across Africa and Europe
- Extended access to HBO content, including integration with Canal+’s broader international offering
Under the agreement:
- CNN International and Cartoon Network
– Exclusive in South Africa, non-exclusive in other territories - Cartoon Network Porto
– Exclusive in Angola and Mozambique, non-exclusive elsewhere - Cartoonito, Cartoonito Porto, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Real Time, ID, TLC, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT Africa, and Food Network
– Non-exclusive across covered territories
In a statement, Canal+ said the agreement would strengthen its entertainment, kids, news, and documentary offerings across African markets while expanding access to Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship content, including premium series and films.
Not All Channels Were Retained
While the Warner Bros. Discovery deal stabilised a key part of DStv’s channel lineup, four Paramount-linked channels were removed at the end of December 2025.
Paramount wound down its African linear television operations, ending a regional presence that had reached audiences across more than 50 territories through its portfolio of TV channels.
The channels removed from DStv and GOtv at 09:00 on 1 January 2026 were:
- BET Africa
- MTV Base
- CBS Reality
- CBS Justice
MultiChoice publicly thanked Paramount and CBS for their long-standing partnerships as the channels went dark.
What This Means for MultiChoice Under Canal+
The last-minute Warner Bros. Discovery agreement offers a clear signal of how Canal+ intends to manage MultiChoice going forward.
The group has indicated that it plans to rationalise content spending, leverage its increased scale in negotiations, and focus investment on content that delivers measurable subscriber value across both linear television and streaming platforms.
The contrasting outcomes of the Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount negotiations suggest a more hard-nosed, commercially driven approach under Canal+ ownership. While premium content will be defended where it strengthens the overall offering, not every channel relationship will be preserved.
For DStv’s millions of subscribers across Africa, the message is increasingly clear: Canal+ is prepared to fight for content—but in an industry reshaped by streaming and consolidation, some losses are likely unavoidable.
Sources
- IOL, 2025
