Company: MultiChoice Group
Country: South Africa
Sector: Cable/Satellite TV
CEO: David Mignot (CEO, Africa operations, under Canal+); Maxime Saada (Executive Chairman, Canal+ Group)
Website: https://www.multichoice.com
Careers Page: https://www.multichoice.com/careers/index.php
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Founded: 1985 (as M-Net/MultiChoice; separately listed on the JSE in 2019 after Naspers unbundling)
Valuation/Revenue: $2,979.6m revenue; $2,640.6m market value (African Business Top 250, 2025); acquired by Canal+ in a $3.17bn deal completed July 2026
MultiChoice Group is Africa’s largest pay-television and video entertainment company, operating the DStv satellite and streaming service, GOtv, the M-Net and SuperSport channel brands, and the Irdeto digital security business across more than 50 African countries. As of mid-2026 it has become a controlled subsidiary of French media group Canal+ following a completed takeover offer.
What Does MultiChoice Do?
MultiChoice’s core business is subscription television: it packages and distributes satellite and streamed channels, sport (via SuperSport), local-language content, and its own studio-produced shows to households across sub-Saharan Africa. Its brands include DStv (premium satellite pay-TV), GOtv (a lower-cost digital terrestrial service), Showmax (its streaming platform), and Irdeto (a cybersecurity and content-protection business serving broadcasters globally). The company built its business over four decades on exclusive sports and entertainment rights, localized content production, and a wide-reaching decoder and set-top-box distribution network across markets many international streaming rivals struggle to reach profitably.
Is MultiChoice Still an Independent Company?
No, not fully. In 2025-2026, French media giant Canal+ pursued and completed a mandatory takeover offer for MultiChoice worth roughly $3.17 billion, following a multi-year courtship that began in 2024. By mid-2026, Canal+ had taken formal control, installed a new CEO for the African business (David Mignot) and executive chairman (Maxime Saada), while former MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela stepped down from the top operating role to chair Canal+’s African business unit. Canal+ itself subsequently pursued a dual listing that included the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, reflecting the combined group’s African footprint. This is the single biggest change in MultiChoice’s corporate history since its spin-off from Naspers, and anyone researching the company in 2026 should understand it now operates as part of a larger, Paris-headquartered media group rather than as a fully independent, South African-controlled entity.
How Big Is MultiChoice?
Prior to the Canal+ deal closing, African Business magazine’s 2025 Top 250 ranking placed MultiChoice’s revenue at approximately $2.98 billion, with a market value of roughly $2.64 billion, ranking it 54th among Africa’s largest companies. The acquisition itself was valued at $3.17 billion, and Canal+ reported that its combined revenue jumped roughly 40% in the period following the deal’s completion, reflecting the addition of MultiChoice’s subscriber base and revenues to the enlarged group’s results.
Who Owns MultiChoice Now?
Following the takeover, Canal+ holds a large majority of MultiChoice’s shares – reported at around 48% directly plus additional acceptances from the mandatory offer, with the trajectory pointing toward full consolidation. Before the deal, MultiChoice’s major shareholders included various South African and international institutional investors, having been unbundled from Naspers/Prosus in 2019. Some black economic empowerment shareholding structures tied to South African broadcasting regulations remain a factor in how ownership is structured locally.
Where Is MultiChoice Headquartered?
MultiChoice’s operational headquarters is in Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, from which it runs its pan-African DStv and GOtv operations, though as part of Canal+ its ultimate corporate parent is based in Paris, France.
How Do I Apply for a Job at MultiChoice?
MultiChoice lists vacancies on a dedicated careers portal linked from its main corporate site, covering roles across broadcasting, content, engineering, sales and customer service in its African markets.
What Has MultiChoice Been in the News For Recently?
The dominant story through 2025 and into 2026 has been the Canal+ takeover saga – years of on-off negotiations, a formal mandatory offer, South African and pan-African regulatory reviews, and eventual completion in mid-2026, followed by leadership changes and Canal+’s own JSE listing. Alongside the deal, MultiChoice has continued to navigate pressure on its traditional satellite-TV subscriber base from global streaming competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, prompting continued investment in its own Showmax streaming platform.
How Does MultiChoice Compare to Its Competitors?
MultiChoice’s traditional competitive set includes StarTimes (a Chinese-backed pay-TV operator expanding across Africa) and, increasingly, global streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, which compete for entertainment spend without needing satellite infrastructure or local decoder distribution. MultiChoice’s response has centred on building out Showmax as its own streaming platform – including a joint content partnership with NBCUniversal – while continuing to leverage its unmatched African sports rights portfolio through SuperSport, an asset that remains difficult for global streamers to replicate given the cost and complexity of live sports broadcasting rights across dozens of African markets.
Links
Website: https://www.multichoice.com
Careers Page: https://www.multichoice.com/careers/index.php
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is MultiChoice still a South African company? It remains headquartered and operationally run out of Johannesburg, but since mid-2026 it is majority-controlled by French group Canal+.
Who owns MultiChoice now? Canal+ holds a controlling stake following its ~$3.17 billion takeover completed in 2026.
Who is the CEO of MultiChoice? David Mignot leads the African operations under Canal+’s new leadership structure; Maxime Saada chairs the combined group.
Is MultiChoice publicly traded? MultiChoice itself was JSE-listed; following the Canal+ deal, Canal+ (the new parent) has pursued its own JSE listing.
What brands does MultiChoice own? DStv, GOtv, M-Net, SuperSport, Showmax and Irdeto.
How much is MultiChoice worth? African Business magazine’s 2025 Top 250 estimated a market value of about $2.64 billion prior to the Canal+ acquisition, which itself valued the company near $3.17 billion.