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- French media conglomerate Vivendi, the owner of Canal+, has announced a firm offer for DStv and Showmax owner MultiChoice, offering shareholders R125 per share.
- The group had made a non-binding R105 per share proposal in February, but was rebuffed.
- Vivendi is also considering a European listing for Canal+, and a secondary inward listing, on the JSE, and argues that scale is essential to take on US giants like Netflix.
- For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page.
French media giant Canal+ announced on Monday it has now made a mandatory offer for a takeover of MultiChoice, offering R125 per share. The new offer price is almost 67% higher than the MultiChoice share price just before its first offer in February.
MultiChoice, Africa's biggest pay TV operator, meanwhile has roped in Standard Bank as an independent expert to give an opinion on the offer, also agreeing to cooperate in ensuring its implementation.
An earlier non-binding offer of R105 per share in February was rebuffed by the board of Africa's biggest pay-TV operator as too low, and Canal+ subsequently upped its proposal in March to its current amount. MultiChoice had closed at R112.33 on Friday.
Canal+, whose parent is Vivendi, operates in 50 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, directly serving 8 million customers in Africa. It had about 25 million total subscribers as of its 2023 year, while MultiChoice had 23.5 million. Both have serious ambitions for Africa and have acknowledged that scale is necessary in order to take on US giants such as Disney and Netflix.
"Canal+'s ambition is to build a global entertainment leader, with Africa at its heart, combining scale, complementary geographies, integrated and international reach with strong local roots, that will support the commercial development of Africa's sporting and cultural industries and take leading and authentic African stories to a global audience," it said on Monday.
"This long-term vision has its foundation in Canal+'s extensive and successful 30-year history of investing in African creative and sports broadcasting markets."
Vivendi, the parent company of Canal+, is also currently undertaking a feasibility study for the proposed split of the company into several separately listed entities, first announced in December.
Should a planned European listing proceed, there will be an opportunity for South African investors to become shareholders of the combined entity as part of a secondary inward listing on the JSE, the company said.
Canal+ added on Monday it understood the imperative of broad-based black economic empowerment, and upon implementation it intends to support MultiChoice in its continued efforts of transformation of its South African business. This is usually also a condition imposed by SA's competition regulators, whose approval is required, while a circular for the offer will be released in due course.
Complicating matters had been SA laws that place limitations on foreign ownership of local broadcast licences. This means Canal+ can increase its shareholding in MultiChoice to any level, but its voting rights are limited to a maximum of 20%. Canal+ also increased its stake in the group to over 35%, which a threshold that triggers a mandatory offer.
However, given the voting cap, the Takeover Regulation Panel was then asked to make a ruling, finding in February that Canal+ must. Following an extension, it was given until 8 April to make its mandatory offer.
READ | Regulator rules Canal+ must make a takeover offer for MultiChoice
MultiChoice has also granted exclusivity to Canal+, which entails not engaging with other competing parties. However, should a better, unsolicited proposal be received, Canal+ will have the opportunity to revise its offer.
"Following constructive engagement with MultiChoice, we are pleased to have issued a joint firm intention announcement to make an offer today, representing a significant premium for the shareholders of MultiChoice," Canal+ chair and CEO Maxime Saada said in a statement.
"Canal+ is confident in making this offer, at a level which far exceeds the minimum required by regulation, due to the incredible future we believe that Canal+ and MultiChoice can build together," he said.
"We are excited about these opportunities, which will be supported by further investment in technology, including the continued offering of a leading satellite service, and rolling out more innovative streaming products."
