Canal+ acquires SPI International

French mass media company Canal+ has acquired complete ownership of SPI International, a prominent European TV channel and streaming operator known for its bouquet of brands like Film1, Kino Polska, FilmBox, and the streaming platform Dizi.
Initially, the French media powerhouse secured a 70% stake in SPI two years ago. However, in April of this year, Canal+ officially announced its intention to exercise its option to acquire the remaining 30% ownership share. Now this transaction has successfully concluded, as Canal+ has successfully acquired the remaining 30% ownership share from Hilda Uziyel.
In alignment with this development, Loni Farhi, who founded SPI nearly three decades ago, made his exit in April. Likewise, CEO Berk Uziyel stepped down from his role. These departures paved the way for Erwan Luherne, Canal+ International's Director of Business Integration, and Jeroen Bergman, Chief of Content & Business Development at M7 Group, a subsidiary of Canal+, to assume their responsibilities.
Across various European markets including Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, the Netherlands, and Russia, SPI manages a diverse collection of over 40 free-to-air and pay-TV channels.
CANAL+ Group is a leading world pay-TV operator and major player in free-to-air television in France. CANAL+ has a wide international footprint with a presence in 40 countries in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Europe, CANAL+ has a strong presence in mainland France and Poland and has also acquired the M7 Group platform in 2019. The Group totals 22 million subscribers worldwide and has experienced a continuous growth of its international business in recent years. This acquisition will help CANAL+ to expand its strategy of investing in content and reinforce its offers on its different markets, by relying on European leader Studiocanal, Kino Åšwiat in Poland, and now SPI INTERNATIONAL.
SPI is the driving force behind the FilmBox movie service and made its mark in 2021 with the launch of Dizi, a streaming platform branded around Turkish content, featuring shows like "Black Money Love." With a global reach, the company collaborates with more than 700 operators to provide access to its linear and on-demand content.