CANAL+ Group Buys Alterna’TV

PARIS: Through its subsidiary THEMA, CANAL+ Group has acquired Alterna’TV from Eutelsat Americas.

Alterna’TV provides a range of Latin American channels to cable and internet TV operators in the U.S. It currently reaches more than 10 million subscribers across the Americas.

François Thiellet, CEO of THEMA, said: “The acquisition of Alterna’TV marks a new step in our partnership with Eutelsat with whom we have been working since our creation. It will allow us to scale up our presence in North and Latin America and will reinforce our team and the portfolio of channels we offer pay-TV operators in these markets. It will complement the platform we already operate in Canada with Terra Terra (that notably distributes Planète+ in Canada and became part of THEMA in January 2016) to create Thema America which aims to become a privileged partner of operators, replicating our success with our European model that draws on an innovative editorial and commercial approach.”

Patricio Northland, CEO of Eutelsat Americas, added: “Our relationship with THEMA and Canal+ enters a new phase with the signature of this agreement. We plan to continue to support the growth of Alterna’TV in the Americas through our fleet of high-power satellites and unique local infrastructure. I take this opportunity to thank the Alterna’TV teams for their significant contribution to its success over the years.”