Revenues for year ending 31December, 1997 were pounds 1.4 billion,
up 16.9 per cent year on year. Its major shareholders are Vivendi (34
per cent) and Compagnie Financiere Richemont (previous owner of Nethold,
15 per cent), with most of the remainder publicly traded. According to
figures released in June, the company has more than ten million
subscribers to its various analogue pay-TV services around Europe plus a
total of 1.7 million subscribers to its digital platforms.
WORLDWIDE MEDIA ASSETS
France Canal+ analogue pay-TV platform. Canal Satellite Numerique
digital system.
MultiThematiques: a joint venture with TCI and Havas that reformats and
markets Canal+ channels to other broadcasters.
Canal+Studio, Ellipse Programme and Docstar: programme production
studios
Canal+Image and Canal+Distribution acquires rights for and distributes
Europe’s second-largest film and programme catalogue.
Paris Saint-Germain: Controlling interest in one of France’s top
football clubs.
Majority shareholder in AOL and Compuserve France.
Controlling interest in cable operator, CGV.
Canal+ Magazine: advertising-supported title sent to the group’s 4.3
million pay-TV subscribers in France.
Rest of Europe Owns or controls analogue and digital pay-TV platforms in
Italy (Tele+, D+), Spain (Canal+ and Canal Satellite Digital, operated
in joint venture with Spain’s SER) and Poland (Canal+Polska). The former
Nethold channels in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden
and Finland have been rebranded to run according to French blueprint.