Apple has announced that Canal+ subscribers in France will have full access to Apple TV+ from April 20 and going forward. The move will allow millions of Canal+ customers to access Apple TV+ content on their existing Canal+ set-top box with no separate app or subscription required.
“I’ve long admired Canal+ and their commitment to high-quality programming, so we couldn’t be more excited to work with them to bring the award-winning films and series of Apple TV+ into even more homes across France,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “This is an incredible offering for Canal+ customers. And through shows like Liaison and Drops of God, we remain committed to the country’s creative industries and shining a spotlight on many of its best writers, directors, actors, and artists.“
“For the first time in its history, the CANAL+ Group has chosen to offer access to content from a partner platform to all of its subscribers in France,” said Maxime Saada, chairman and CEO of CANAL+ Group. “With this historic partnership, we are consolidating both our business as an aggregator, through carrying Apple TV+, and our business as a publisher, with the broadcasting of select Apple Original series on our CANAL+ channel, to the delight of our subscribers.”
The deal comes in the wake of the production and release of Liaison, which marked the first Franco-British Apple Original, in French and English language, starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green and written by Virginie Brac. Apple says Liaison is a high-stakes, contemporary thriller exploring how the mistakes of our past have the potential to destroy our future, combining action with an unpredictable, multilayered plot where espionage and political intrigue play out against a story of passionate and enduring love. The first episode of Liaison debuted globally on 24 February.
Apple has partnered with Canal+ in the past, as in May 2018, the Cupertino firm made a deal with French cable television provider Canal+ to offer an Apple TV 4K streaming box in the place of a traditional cable box.