Back when Disney+ initially launched in France in the spring of 2020, the streaming service was available through Canal+, which is one of the biggest entertainment companies in France.

The platform has 20.8 million subscribers worldwide and has a global audience of over 400 million monthly active users on its OTT and video streaming platforms.

However, from January 1st 2025, Disney+ will no longer be available directly through Canal+. Instead, subscribers will have to go directly to Disney.     Disney other films or shows will also no longer be available through Canal+ after the date.  The two companies current deal sees new movies going to Canal, six months after a theatrical release.

Disney released a statement regarding the removal of Disney+ and  Disney channels from Canal.

“From 1 January, Canal’s customers will no longer be able to watch our upcoming new movie releases, Disney+ or our channels through Canal’s offering. Our blockbuster movies, award-winning TV series, and exclusive Originals remain widely available on Disney+ directly and through partners for everyone to enjoy their favorite stories from our brands.”

This announcement was made on the 40th anniversary of Canal, and this looks to have annoyed the CEO of Canal+, Gérald-Brice Viret, who spoke on France Info and revealed

“They had the delicacy to do it on our anniversary. And on the other hand, I can tell you that it is a fairly marginal consumption by our subscribers: they prefer, for example, MAX, Paramount, Netflix, Apple TV or Ciné+”.

Roger’s Take:  It’s not hard to see that the head of Canal+ was not happy with the announcement and was certainly salty about it in his comment.  This decision shows that Disney is slowly pulling away from its linear business internationally. However, Disney has constantly been in disagreement with how much stricter French rules are, such as only letting new movies get released on Disney+ after 17 months, following a theatrical and Canal release.

What do you think of Disney+ leaving Canal+?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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