Canal+ and TF1 finally bury the hatchet with new deal

Vivendi-owned French pay TV outfit Canal+ and commercial broadcaster TF1 have finally buried the hatchet and struck a new global distribution deal.

The pair said that the agreement would see Canal+ integrate all of TF1’s channels and associated non-linear services in its offerings.

The deal will enable Canal+ subscribers to view TF1 programming on the MYTF1 on-demand service with an extended catch-up window, view some programmes in avant-premiere ahead of their linear airing, benefit from new functionality to be introduced by TF1, and view event-based content from the broadcaster in 4K UHD.

TF1’s services will be available in Canal+’s offerings and, for the first time, as part of its MyCanal digital service.

TF1 has also struck a new enlarged partnership with Vivendi-owned online video portal Dailymotion.

The deal with Canal+ completes the distribution picture for TF1, which has fought a long and hard battle to secure better terms from French distributors, including some form of retransmssion fee in exchange for the inclusion of advanced digital services in agreements.

Relations between Canal+ and the commercial broadcaster reached a nadir in March when the pay TV outfit ceased broadcasting TF1’s channels and digital services and filed a complaint with the Paris commercial court challenging the legality of the broadcaster’s demands.

Canal+ was subsequently forced to resume broadcasting TF1’s channels following the intervention of the French ministry of culture, but the pair failed to strike a formal distribution agreement.

At the same time as the dispute with Canal+, TF1 struck a deal with Orange after a long battle between the pair that had seen the broadcaster initiate legal action to stop the telco distributing its signal.

Other distribution deals had previously signed with Bouygues Telecom – TF1’s sister company – and Altice, with Free, which held out longer, signing up in April.