French media conglomerate Canal+ has formally applied to take over MultiChoice Uganda and GOtv Uganda, following its recent $3 billion acquisition of the MultiChoice Group, Africa’s largest pay-TV operator.
In a public notice issued Tuesday, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) confirmed receipt of a joint application from MultiChoice Uganda Ltd and GOtv Uganda Ltd, requesting approval for a transfer of control from MultiChoice Group Limited to Groupe Canal+.
“The public is invited to submit written comments on this application within 14 days from the date of this notice,” UCC stated.
If approved, the transaction would see Groupe Canal+ acquire 100% ownership of MultiChoice Group, granting the French company indirect control over its Ugandan subsidiaries.
The application comes shortly after the South African Competition Tribunal gave final approval for Canal+ to acquire the remaining 55% stake in MultiChoice Group it did not already own. The deal, valued at $3 billion, was finalized on July 23, 2025.
The acquisition is seen as a strategic expansion move by Canal+, which is seeking to strengthen its footprint in English-speaking African markets, including Uganda. For MultiChoice, the deal is expected to inject critical capital to boost local content production, technology upgrades, and innovation across its platforms.
Canal+, which currently operates in 25 African countries with more than 8 million subscribers, now brings under its umbrella an additional 14.5 million subscribers from MultiChoice’s presence in 50 sub-Saharan African countries.
The French media powerhouse is targeting a subscriber base of 50 to 100 million across the continent in the coming years, positioning itself as a dominant force in Africa’s fast-growing media and entertainment landscape.
Pending UCC’s approval, the Ugandan arm of the acquisition will mark another significant milestone in Canal+’s pan-African ambitions and reshape the country’s pay-TV market, currently dominated by DStv and GOtv.
