Heavyweight international broadcaster Canal Plus has stopped its distribution of some channels run by the TF1 French commercial network.
Canal Plus will no longer distribute a number of TF1 channels across France, Switzerland, and Africa, following what the pay-TV heavyweight called "the failure of the discussions initiated with the TF1 Group."
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Canal Plus has stated that despite months of negotiations, it has not been able to reach an agreement with TF1 over renewed carriage terms, "even though it was ready to improve the conditions in all respects" for the latter network.
The TF1 channel itself will no longer be available through Canal Plus platforms in Africa, while in France and Switzerland, a range of other offerings, such as thematic channels, are being discontinued.
From a sporting perspective, Canal Plus will still continue to carry the main TF1 channel in France itself, however – TF1 has live rights to show 54 games from soccer's ongoing FIFA World Cup, including all fixtures played by the French national team (one of the favorites for the tournament).
Canal Plus already holds rights in a number of African countries to the World Cup – and to a wide range of other top-tier sporting events, partly through the MultiChoice broadcaster that it now owns (dating back to a deal concluded in late 2025).
In terms of a potential resolution, Vivendi-owned Canal Plus has said it is still open to discussions "based on reasonable, balanced, and lasting bases."
This is not the first time Canal Plus has taken such action – it did so in late 2022, and on that occasion the impasse lasted for months, before the situation was eventually resolved in November of that year.
