Canal+ Initiates 115 Million USD MultiChoice Overhaul Triggering Job Losses and Showmax Shutdown

The Restructuring Wave and Downsizing Across African Hubs

Following its acquisition of MultiChoice, French media giant Canal+ has initiated a comprehensive 115 million USD turnaround and restructuring programme. The overhaul has led to significant workforce reductions across the continent, despite a regulatory agreement with South Africa's Competition Commission that prohibits direct retrenchments within MultiChoice for three years starting September 2025. To navigate this restriction, MultiChoice has reportedly shed over 300 South African staff members through a voluntary severance package targeted specifically at employees in support roles.

Beyond South Africa, the restructuring has impacted outsourced operations. In Abuja, Nigeria, 31 workers in the customer value management unit were abruptly dismissed without notice. These individuals, who were employed through the outsourcing firm ZetaWeb Nigeria to handle outgoing calls, subscription renewals, and service issues for DStv and GOtv subscribers, were informed that their services were no longer required. This move has raised concerns as some of these workers had served the pay-TV operator for up to ten years.

Showmax Shutdown and Its Toll on the Creative Sector

A central component of the Canal+ strategy involves shutting down MultiChoice's loss-making video streaming service, Showmax, and replacing it with the Canal+ application. While Canal+ stated that the discontinuation of Showmax would not involve internal retrenchments, the decision has severely affected the broader television and film industry. Canal+ and MultiChoice have reduced production spending budgets, abruptly ordering production partners to cut purchase orders by 20 percent. This has left numerous local production companies and service providers unpaid for several months.

In response to these developments, South Africa's parliament is demanding answers. Sixolise Gcilishe, a member of parliament representing the Economic Freedom Fighters, requested that the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications investigate the job losses in the local creative industry. The committee, chaired by Khusela Sangoni-Diko, plans to conduct special oversight visits to MultiChoice and eMedia's e.tv to assess the impact of the Showmax closure on local content development and job retention.

Regulatory Investigations and Divergent Corporate Strategies

The South African Competition Commission has launched an active investigation into the operational changes, contacting affected production companies and individuals to gather details on unpaid invoices and terminated contracts. Meanwhile, a clear divergence in staffing strategy has emerged. While corporate support roles and creative budgets are being scaled back, Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada recently announced plans to contract at least 1,000 new sales representatives. These contract workers will focus on upselling DStv subscriptions to help lift subscriber numbers across sub-Saharan Africa, where MultiChoice currently serves more than 22 million active subscribers.

This transition marks a profound shift for an institution that has anchored the African television landscape for over 30 years. Industry commentators note that MultiChoice, from its Randburg headquarters, historically built its dominance by acquiring premium sports rights and developing popular local channels like M-Net and Mzansi Magic. As control shifts to European ownership, local creators and executives express concern that South African decision-makers may be sidelined, potentially altering the cultural identity of the continent's largest pay-TV network.

What this means for Africa: The restructuring of MultiChoice by Canal+ demonstrates how international media consolidation can bypass regulatory job protections by cutting outsourced staff and local production budgets, directly threatening the sustainability of the African creative economy.