Disney has officially declared that its content will no longer be accessible to Canal+ subscribers, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Vivendi-owned pay-TV operator.
This move represents a significant setback for Canal+, which had successfully transitioned to a super-aggregator model following its earlier loss of rights to broadcast top-tier French football.
Alongside the discontinuation of Disney+, other linear channels, such as the Disney Channel, as well as content from beloved franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, will also be removed, at least for the time being.
In a notable shift, Disney has decided against allowing its latest films to be aired on Canal+ just six months post-cinema release—a standard practice in France—resulting in an extended wait of 17 months before these titles become available for streaming on Disney+.
Canal+ France CEO Gérald-Brice Viret remained optimistic despite the setback. “They had the delicacy to do it on our anniversary. On the other hand, it’s worth noting that this is relatively marginal consumption for our subscribers; they tend to prefer services like MAX, Paramount, Netflix, Apple TV, or Ciné+,” he stated.
In 2019, Canal+ secured an exclusive distribution agreement for Disney’s streaming service just months before its launch in France.
