Paris (AFP)
The Netflix platform has sealed an agreement with Canal + to be distributed in its offers in France, as it is already by Sky in Germany and the United Kingdom, announced the two groups Monday during a press conference.
Canal + will offer Netflix from October 15 in its pack Cine / Series for a total of 35 euros, this partnership having "vocation to be extended" to other countries, beginning with Poland, said the leaders of both groups.
"It is essential for Canal + to be able to offer Netflix to its subscribers," said Maxime Saada, CEO of the Canal + Group. The series of the American platform, from "Stranger Things" to "Friends", will be "put forward" among subscribers, who by clicking on the programs will access directly to Netflix.
With the launch of the Apple and Disney platforms, in particular, "there will be a lot of platforms, maybe too much, we do not want the consumer to be lost in an ocean of programs," added Maxime Saada.
The financial details of the operation were not revealed and the two groups did not specify their objectives.
The Ciné / Séries pack, which also offers OCS or Fox programs, has two million subscribers. One million French customers are already subscribing to Canal + and Netflix in parallel.
The US platform, whose expansion has shaken the world of television, has just exceeded six million subscribers in France. But its title has plummeted on Wall Street this summer because it has attracted as many new subscribers as expected.
"We were very hesitant about integrating our application so far, but growing up is gaining confidence, and we want to make things simpler for people," said Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings.
Canal + is just starting to recover after a fall in the number of French subscribers and severe cuts. "From a linear chain, we are turning into a platform," said Maxime Saada, noting that half of Canal + subscribers watch catch-up programs.
The agreement could also "facilitate the cooperation" of the two groups "in the production of series, said Maxime Saada." The French programs are traveling well, "added Reed Hastings.
© 2019 AFP