MultiChoice is bracing for a major organizational shake-up following its acquisition by French media giant Groupe Canal+. While a three-year retrenchment moratorium imposed by South African competition authorities temporarily protects local workers, industry experts warn it may merely delay deeper job cuts rather than prevent them entirely.
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Canal+ formally took control of MultiChoice in September 2025 after a lengthy mandatory buyout process. To secure regulatory approval, the Competition Tribunal prohibited any merger-related retrenchments in South Africa for three years, a moratorium set to expire in 2028. However, the Competition Commission recently clarified that voluntary severance packages do not breach this agreement. Consequently, Canal+ has already begun downsizing head-office staff through voluntary packages to streamline corporate operations.
A primary catalyst for this restructuring is the closure of the streaming service Showmax on April 30, 2026. Canal+ candidly labelled the platform an “expensive failure” after it racked up roughly R8.7 billion in trading losses over three fiscal years due to aggressive relaunch costs, licensing fees, and content acquisition. Although MultiChoice publicly maintained that the shutdown would not trigger immediate retrenchments and that staff would be transitioned internally, the platform’s termination has ultimately left the group with a significant surplus of employees.
Financially, Canal+ is under immense pressure to optimize its new asset. Its 2025 financial results revealed that MultiChoice suffered a revenue drop of €142 million (R2.69 billion) alongside a loss of half a million subscribers. To spearhead a turnaround, Canal+ announced a four-pillar strategy focusing on structural efficiency, content curation, simplified commercial products, and distribution growth, backed by an additional €100 million (R1.9 billion) acceleration investment. The ultimate goal is to unlock over €400 million (R7.7 billion) in annual cost savings by 2030, just two years after the regulatory job protections lift.
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According to Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot, the operational blueprint involves centralizing corporate models at headquarters while reinforcing the field workforce. As part of this transition, the broadcaster plans to hire 1,000 sales staff across its territories to expand its localized installer base and retail points of sale.
Despite these commercial ambitions, the transition has drawn intense scrutiny from Parliament. Local film industry stakeholders have warned that the sudden freezing of new content production and procurement decisions will damage the domestic supply chain. In response to parliamentary concern, the Competition Commission and ICASA confirmed that the merger remains legally bound to strict public-interest conditions, including mandatory spending on local audiovisual content and supplier development. The Commission is actively monitoring the transition to ensure Canal+ adheres strictly to these baseline takeover mandates.
