Netflix is poised to grow its global subscriber base by more than 8 million customers after signing a lucrative deal with French broadcaster Canal Plus, according to a report released this week.
The report, from Ampere Analysis, highlighted the importance of bringing Netflix to French-speaking parts of Africa where Canal Plus operates. There, Canal Plus offers more than 400 linear channels of content, including more than two dozen that are produced specifically for African audiences.
As part of its deal with Netflix, Canal Plus customers in Africa will be able to watch on-demand movies and TV shows from the world’s biggest streaming platform as part of their pay TV subscription. Canal Plus customers will be able to activate the Netflix perk next month.
The deal will see Netflix increase its global subscriber count by 8.2 million, Ampere said. That number is likely to increase if Canal receives approval to acquire rival pay TV platform MultiChoice, which operates in 50 African countries and has nearly 20 million subscribers of its own.
Netflix stopped providing regular reports on its global and regional subscriber figures earlier this year. The streamer is instead focusing on subscriber engagement, which it feels is a stronger metric that proves the popularity of its content, particularly among customers who opt for its Netflix with Ads plan.
The partnership with Canal Plus is “a significant opportunity to expand its audience in sub-Saharan Africa,” Ampere’s Motohiko Ara wrote this week.
Ara notes that sub-Sarahan African has been a challenging place for Netflix, given the prominence of pay TV in the region and the price of Netflix’s service relative to domestic streaming platforms. Netflix is one of the most-expensive streaming services in Africa.
“But by partnering with the pay TV giant Canal Plus, Netflix will immediately gain access to Canal Plus’ 8.2 million subscribers across Sub-Saharan markets,” Ara said. “Furthermore, discounted bundles with Canal Plus could prove attractive to new customers in a highly price-sensitive region.”
Pay TV customers will benefit by getting access to more content that complements the live and on-demand programming already available on Canal Plus.
