![A DStv satellite dish installed outside a home. Canal+ says high installation costs in MultiChoice markets are slowing subscriber growth across parts of Africa. [ Bench Freight Movers Kenya]](https://ocdn.eu/pulscms/MDA_/82f0b7b98606d2375e203e2318bb41c2.jpg)
Canal+, the French media company that recently acquired MultiChoice, says the high cost of joining the DStv platform is a major reason subscriber growth has slowed across parts of Africa.
- Canal+ says the high cost of installing DStv equipment is slowing subscriber growth across parts of Africa.
- Installation in MultiChoice markets costs about €38 compared with €13 in Canal+ territories.
- The company plans subsidies, more sales outlets, and a €100m boost plan to revive growth.
- Canal+ is also partnering with Google Cloud and OpenAI to introduce AI-powered search and recommendations from June 2026.
The company disclosed this after publishing its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2025, outlining plans to cut installation costs, expand distribution, and deploy artificial intelligence tools to strengthen its streaming and pay-TV services.
DStv remains one of Africa’s largest pay-TV platforms but has recently faced pressure from rising living costs and competition from global streaming services.
High entry cost
Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot said the upfront cost of installing DStv equipment in markets operated by MultiChoice is significantly higher than what Canal+ charges in its Francophone African territories.
Company data shows installation in Canal+ markets costs around €13, compared with about €38 in MultiChoice markets, nearly three times as much.
“This is one area where we are correcting quickly. We are introducing subsidies and standardising set-top boxes and dishes,” Mignot said.
Lowering this entry barrier is part of a €100 million “boost plan” aimed at reversing a decline in DStv’s subscriber base, which fell from 14.9 million to 14.4 million in 2025.
“We do provide a premium experience, and there is an aspirational element to it, but it has to be accessible,” he said.
Sales expansion
Canal+ also believes weak distribution has limited DStv’s growth in many Anglophone African markets.
The company said there are far fewer sales outlets selling DStv equipment relative to the number of electrified households compared with Canal+’s network in Francophone Africa.
To address this, the company plans to recruit more than 1,000 sales agents and expand its distribution footprint across MultiChoice’s markets.
These changes are part of a wider effort to restructure operations following Canal+’s acquisition of MultiChoice. The group said it has identified about 270 operational best practices from its businesses in Europe, Asia, and Africa, which it is rolling out across 30 MultiChoice business units and countries.
“We are going to shift the focus of our business much more towards sales. We are not only going to break the negative cycle, but we are also going to turn it around completely,” Mignot said.
AI partnerships
Alongside operational changes, Canal+ is investing heavily in artificial intelligence to improve its streaming service and content production.
The company announced new multi-year partnerships with Google Cloud and OpenAI to integrate generative AI into its technology and production systems.
The goal is to improve how viewers search for and discover content while strengthening Canal+’s ability to compete with global streaming platforms such as Netflix.
Smarter search
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said the partnership will combine Google’s data tools with OpenAI’s AI models to analyse and organise the company’s content library.
“We’re going to work on data,” Saada said.
The technology will identify elements within films and television programmes, allowing the platform to offer more personalised search results and recommendations.
Canal+ plans to introduce an upgraded system from June 2026, enabling subscribers to make natural-language requests rather than relying on traditional keyword searches.
Production tools
Artificial intelligence will also be used by production teams.
Canal+ said creators will be able to use Google’s video generation technology to pre-visualise scenes before filming or recreate historical events using archival photographs.
The rollout will cover European and African markets where the Canal+ streaming app operates.
The investment forms part of Canal+’s broader strategy to strengthen its global media presence and reach 100 million subscribers by 2030.
