On July 23, French media outlet Canal+ was to acquire South African TV broadcaster MultiChoice by South Africa鈥檚 Competition Tribunal, an independent, quasi-judicial body that makes rulings over media merger cases.聽
The South African-based MultiChoice is one of Africa鈥檚 leading entertainment platforms, serving tens of millions of viewers across Sub-Saharan Africa through its subsidiaries. If the deal is finalised, Canal+ would become Africa’s largest media conglomerate and potentially reshape the media landscape across the continent, expanding its audience by more than 30 million. The companies鈥攖he two largest media outlets in Africa鈥攎ust finalise the acquisition by October 8, 2025.
While the merger includes public interest commitments proposed by both media groups, such as continuing local sports and entertainment programming, IPI remains concerned over potential editorial interference and the silencing of critical reporting.聽
鈥淚f this acquisition is completed, the Canal+-Multichoice merger would create a , giving the Bollor茅 Group enormous influence over the flow of information and the nature of content that reaches millions of African households,鈥� said IPI鈥檚 Africa Advocacy and Engagement Lead, Nompilo Simanje. 鈥淭his consolidation of power will undoubtedly limit media pluralism in the region, as local and independent media outlets struggle to compete.鈥�
French billionaire Vincent Bollor茅 is the controlling shareholder of Canal+ parent company Vivendi and a controversial figure wielding significant influence over the French television giant. as the 鈥淔rench Rupert Murdoch鈥�, Bollor茅 has been building his own conservative media empire for decades in France and extending it into Francophone Africa.聽
Bollor茅 has long been accused of editorial and a political agenda in operating his media empire. Canal+ channels cater to increasingly conservative audiences, against migrants, Islam, and the 鈥渨oke鈥� left. His acquisitions of other French media outlets have been met with including the appointment of a far-right editor-in-chief to the Journal du Dimanche (JDD).聽
In 2015, Canal+ a documentary about Cr茅dit Mutuel, a powerful French bank accused of tax evasion schemes, with insiders claiming Bollor茅 pulled it from broadcast due to his personal business links. A year later, Canal+ axed the investigative journalism programme called Sp茅cial Investigation, which examined corruption and corporate misconduct. Even political satire, such as France鈥檚 long-running puppet show, 鈥淟es Guignols de l鈥橧nfo,鈥� was . More recently, in December 2023, Canal+聽 the signal of three channels critical of [former junta leader] Mamady Doumbouya at the request of Guinean authorities.
Vivendi also has a history of targeting journalists and press freedom organisations that criticise the media giant. Legal has befallen Bollor茅 himself due to allegations of corruption involving African presidents and violations of journalistic ethics.聽In March 2024, Bollor茅 was before the National Assembly over perceived biased programming, though he adamantly denied imposing any ideological influence over content.
鈥淚t is gravely concerning that Africa’s largest private broadcaster may come under the effective control of a right-wing billionaire from France with a track record of allegedly corrupt business dealings in Africa and of airing extreme right-wing and racist views on the media platforms he controls in France,鈥� says Simon Allison, an IPI member and co-founder of the South African-based independent news magazine, . 鈥淭his is going to make it significantly more difficult for independent journalism to thrive on the continent and to fulfil its core function of holding power to account.鈥�