Vivendi boss Vincent Bolloré is in talks with the owners of beIN Sports to possibly take over beIN Sports France in a bid to boost the sports offering at Canal Plus, which has been suffering substantial financial losses, according to various newspaper reports. Owned by Vivendi SA, Canal Plus is a French premium cable television […]
Vivendi boss Vincent Bolloré is in talks with the owners of beIN Sports to possibly take over beIN Sports France in a bid to boost the sports offering at Canal Plus, which has been suffering substantial financial losses, according to various newspaper reports.
Owned by Vivendi SA, Canal Plus is a French premium cable television channel. The cable network lost 88,000 subscribers and is facing increased competition not only from beIN Sports, but also from OTT players such as Netflix.
BeIN Sports is also said to be losing up to $325m each year and a buyout may come as a welcome move for the company. BeIN Sports has declined to comment on what it calls ‘speculative reports’.
Apart from a full acquisition, Vivendi is reportedly also considering an exclusive distribution deal with beIN Sports for Canal Plus, similar to its deal with Eurosport. Presently, Canal+ pays USD54 million each year for the exclusive distribution rights to Eurosport.
Analysts estimate a takeover of beIN France would cost around $542m for its 2.5 million subscribers and programming rights. The company holds the rights to top French football and the NBA in France, among other sports.
BeIN Sports is also believed to be talking to Free and Orange about exclusive distribution rights.
