Disney+ has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Canal+ Group in France, similar to its deal with Netflix.
Under the new agreement, Canal+ will be the sole distributor of Disney+ in France, and the Frech broadcaster will also continue to have exclusive rights to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Film and 20th Century Fox films, including the Star Wars and Avengers movies, and will also be the only distributor of Disney channels in France, including Disney Channel and Disney Junior, and will keep distributing the National Geographic, Voyage and Fox Play channels.
“What is most important for us is to meet the demand of future consumers by offering them, locally and in the way that best suits their habits, the content they want to see,” commented Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International at The Walt Disney Company, in French newspaper Les Echos.
“The agreement with Canal+ is the only one of its kind concluded in the world to date, with the exception of that with Verizon, an American telecom operator of very high quality. With Canal+, whose brand is completely in line with that of Disney, what we wanted is a powerful distribution partner capable of promoting our services in a high-quality brand environment.”
Disney+ will be coming to some countries in Western Europe on March 31 2020, including the UK, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain and France. In Europe, it is currently only available in The Netherlands.