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Canal+, a leading French premium TV channel and streaming service, and Apple have signed a multi-year deal. All Canal+ subscribers in France and some other European countries will be able to stream Apple TV+ content for free starting on April 20.
Canal+ isn’t just offering Apple TV+, so this is odd. It’s not like carrier deals, where telecom companies offer a few months of Apple TV+, Disney+, or Netflix with their most expensive subscription plans.
Instead, Canal+’s myCanal app will offer Apple TV+ content. For live TV viewers, Canal+’s premium channels will air “The Morning Show,” “Foundation,” and “Téhéran.”
Canal+ tweeted that its subscribers won’t be able to access Apple TV+ from the Apple TV app. This will require a separate subscription, but I don’t see why people would pay to stream content they can already stream in another app.
In an interview with Variety, Apple’s senior VP of services Eddy Cue said this isn’t just a temporary deal to boost Apple TV+ in France. “It’s not a promotion and it’s not a one-time thing. “It’s a many-year thing and hopefully something that lasts forever in my mind,” Cue told Variety.
The timing of the announcement is intriguing. 25 million paid subscribers are estimated for Apple TV+, which launched in 2019. However, it’s unclear if Apple gained many subscribers abroad. Unlike Netflix, the service has had little international content. Apple premiered its first French TV show, “Liaison,” and a French-Japanese show will air on April 21.
Apple can reach more people by partnering with a local player like Canal+. Canal+ is subscribed by 9.5 million French people. Canal+ is also available in several African and European countries. It has over 25 million paid subscribers.
Canal+ and Apple have a long history. Bloomberg reported in 2020 that some video apps can sell shows on Apple platforms without paying the standard in-app purchase fees. If they have a payment method linked to their account, Apple doesn’t take a 30% cut on Amazon Prime Video, Canal+, and Altice One payments.
