- Canal+ Group, a French media company, has acquired an undisclosed stake in Marodi TV, a Senegalese production company, to expand its partnership and strengthen its position in Francophone Africa.
- The French media currently produces over 4,000 hours of African content across 30 channels dedicated to the continent in ten languages. Marodi TV's catalogue has aired as part of the Canal+ Group's lineup for the past five years.
- This new development comes when Canal+ plans to acquire the shares it doesn't currently own in MultiChoice.
Marodi TV, founded in 2012 by Serigne Massamba Ndour to make African content available on all media platforms, will now expand its reach within and outside Africa.
It will also allow it to create an original catalogue for Canal+'s future channel in Pulaar, the language spoken by the Fulani community, which is heavily represented in Senegal, Guinea, and Mali.
Ndour stated that the collaboration will strengthen the media company's production and broadcasting capabilities and enable it to export its model across the continent.
Even with this development, Ndour will remain in charge of managing the media company amidst this development.
Also, Fabrice Faux, the director of channels and content at Canal+ International, described this development as a further demonstration of the French media's commitment to Africa’s growing creative industries.
Over the years, Canal+ has developed an interest in Africa and has ever since been expanding. The group currently holds a majority share of production companies like Rok Studios in Nigeria, Plan A in the Ivory Coast, and Zacu Entertainment in Rwanda.
In February 2023, the French media expanded its presence in Africa by establishing a Digital Factory in Senegal to create or produce digital content to make the Canal+ app the premier platform for African content.
Canal+'s recent focus is on MultiChoice. While the deal is still in progress, it aims to acquire the remaining shares it doesn't currently own in PayTV.
