The Competition Commission (CompCom) is actively monitoring compliance conditions related to Canal+’s acquisition of MultiChoice, including the imminent shut down of streaming platform Showmax, legislators were told yesterday.
This, after having already received concerns from some service providers, said deputy commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu.
Ratshisusu was part of the delegation from the departments of trade, industry and competition; communications and digital technologies; the CompCom; and Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) that briefed members of Parliament about the regulatory obligations for approval of the Canal+ and MultiChoice transaction.
MPs sought to get to grips with the public interest commitments, compliance requirements and government’s position in the context of approving the deal. They are also concerned about potential job losses locally, considering the forthcoming discontinuation of Showmax.
Ratshisusu told MPs that in May 2025, the CompCom recommended to the Competition Tribunal that the Canal+ and MultiChoice transaction be approved with conditions.
The decision, which aligned with ICASA’s findings, was prompted by the fact that the transaction was unlikely to prevent or lessen competition in any of the markets in South Africa, he stated.
He added there were no expectations of reduced expenditure on procurement because of the transaction, also noting that jobs will be protected, with enhanced participation of historically disadvantaged persons, as well as supply development commitments.
Based on those, the merger was approved by the tribunal, he said, adding that the conditions cover “almost all the material concerns” that were raised around the merger.
The CompCom, Ratshisusu noted, has been “actively monitoring” the imposed conditions since the merger.
As a result, it is investigating so-called unilateral contract changes and related complaints to determine whether they breach the transaction conditions or competition law.
“This is something that we have been investigating, including the issue around Showmax, so those are issues that we will be investigating as the Competition Commission, because the submissions that we had received were that this merger is here to rescue this company but also strengthen it and ensure it grows going forward,” explained Ratshisusu.
“We’ll have to engage with the company on what they are doing and how that has a bearing on the conditions imposed on this transaction.”
French media giant Canal+ acquired MultiChoice after a difficult period for the South African pay-TV operator.
The company completed its acquisition of MultiChoice in a process that began with share purchases in 2020 and culminated in full ownership by late 2025.
The takeover involved regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, with Canal+ gradually increasing its stake before making a formal offer in early 2024.
By September 2025, the deal had become unconditional, allowing Canal+ to finalise the acquisition and begin integrating MultiChoice into its global operations, marking a major consolidation in the African media and pay-TV market.
After weeks of speculation that the streaming service would be shut down, MultiChoice confirmed Showmax’s discontinuation.
In a statement, the firm said the decision to pull the plug on Showmax, which has over three million subscribers, follows a comprehensive review of its streaming activities. It added thatthe substantial annual losses experienced by the Showmax business proved unsustainable.
The group reportedly assured that the move will not result in job losses.
Showmax is a subscription video-on-demand platform launched in South Africa in August 2015 by MultiChoice, to compete with global streaming services and respond to growing demand for online entertainment.
The platform offers movies, series and documentaries streamed over the internet rather than through scheduled television.
After its launch, Showmax expanded across Africa and positioned itself as a regional alternative to international platforms by focusing on African audiences and locally produced content.
In 2023, MultiChoice partnered with NBCUniversal and Sky to strengthen the service, leading to a platform relaunch in 2024, with claims of improved technology and a broader content offering.
Although the Canal+ and MultiChoice merger has gone through, several MPs were unsatisfied with certain aspects of the deal, including that the actual value of commitments remain confidential.
The Electronic Communications Act also came under fire, with lawmakers raising concerns that it might be outdated to cushion against such mergers.
Meanwhile, Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani, director-general in the communications and digital technologies ministry, said the department is yet to be “formally notified” about the winding down of Showmax.
“As the ministry overseeing the sector, we would want to have further engagements with the parties in this regard. We [need to] understand…the issues of jobs, issues of our creative industry – what are the implications in that regard.
“Issues of local content producers and others, the beneficiation or lack thereof is going to be quite key for us to safeguard, amid the winding down of Showmax. We need to determine what it means on the side of jobs, or if there are any expected job losses.
“We have not engaged MultiChoice, and we look forward to sitting down with them, and then we’ll be able to come back and report back to the portfolio committee, as it is obviously a matter of public interest.”
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