Canal+ and Warner Bros. Discovery have signed a new multi-year, multi-territory agreement to strengthen their international partnership, including the expansion of HBO Max into two additional countries.
The agreement, described in a press release as a “major milestone” in the cooperation between the two companies, will renew HBO Max distribution through Canal+ in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, and will also expand to Belgium and Austria. Cartoon Network, Cartoonito and CNN International distribution in Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia will also be updated, as will Warner TV in the Czech Republic.
Distribution of 12 WBD thematic channels will be updated across the MultiChoice Group’s jurisdictions in Africa, including CNN International and Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network Porto, Cartoonito, Cartoonito Porto, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Real Time, ID, TLC, HGTV, Travel, TNT Africa and Food Network.
The agreement between WBD and the French media group builds on previous agreements signed in 2024, including the renewal of exclusive pay-TV slots for Warner Bros. films six months after their theatrical release in France and the integration of HBO Max into select Canal+ Group offers.
This also comes amid Netflix’s pending acquisition of WBD, and since Canal+ already has a distribution deal with Netflix, this could further cement Canal+ as a power player on the world stage. On December 16, Netflix president Ted Sarandos made a surprise appearance at Canal+ Group’s Paris showcase to reassure the audience about the company’s plans to acquire WBD.
“Our intent in acquiring Warner Bros. is to continue to release Warner Bros. studio films in theaters with traditional windows,” Sarandos said in a conversation with Canal+ Chairman and CEO Maxime Saada. “These films will then flow through the Canal+ production deal, which is very exciting for us.”
