Canal+ extends ambitions to compete with US streamers

France’s Canal+ will use the heft of its increasing international footprint to greenlight more shows in the vein of the Has Fallen franchise, as it looks to compete with US-based streamers.

Paris Has Fallen, which was from StudioCanal and UK-based subsidiary Urban Myth Films, debuted on Canal+ in France in 2024 and was extended into a second season earlier this year after its first sold to streamers including Hulu in the US and Prime Video in the UK.

Olivier Bibas, head of original drama at Canal+, told Broadcast International here at Conecta Fiction in Spain that a raft of other ambitious projects are in development as part of the company’s strategy to engage audiences.

“It’s important for us to be able to compete with the platforms now because we are becoming a platform ourselves, so we have to be making shows with the highest level of execution [across genres].

“Paris Has Fallen is one of those and we’re actively trying to develop more because the group is expanding, we are becoming more and more international. We are currently shooting season two of Has Fallen and we have many more [similar] projects in development,” he said.

While Canal+ Group is listed in London, the bulk of its activity remains in France. However, it also operates Canal+ in Poland and has interests in streamers around the world, including Viu in Asia, in which it holds a 37.2% stake, with the option of taking that up to 51% by the end of 2026.

The group also owns a 29.3% stake in Nordic-focused Viaplay, making it the streamer’s largest investor, and is looking to acquire African giant Multichoice.

Bibas also outlined how the Has Fallen franchise is an example of how a show can work for his French viewership, despite the second season being set in London.

“Season one, for me, had to be grounded for my audience in France and that is why it happened in Paris. Now, because I’ve had this base from the beginning, I can expand in different directions.”

Bibas admitted that Paris Has Fallen would not have been commissioned a decade ago but said that such action series, which tend to come with considerably larger budgets, are of increasing interest as the group expands its reach.

“We can put all of Canal+ together, so that is France but also Poland, Africa and Asia, we can all finance the show together. [Paris Has Fallen] is the first example of what I might call an in-house Canal+ coproduction,” he said, highlighting that the show’s first season had also been pre-sold to ZDF.

Bibas said that despite growing interest in action, he also wanted to retain a focus on “complex characters” and shows “that are telling stories about today that have meaning.”

During an earlier panel session, Bibas was joined by Quad Drama’s Iris Bucher and Virgine Padilla, commissioning editor for drama development at Arte (France), who said her company is also starting to explore broader scripted partnerships.

“We are becoming more European than ever, we have launched our platform in several other countries so we have a strong footprint on the continent and now we are keen to go further.

“Europe is our main region but if we think there is a project from another part of the world that we are fond of then we’d never say no.”

Bucher, chief exec and producer at Quad Drama, also talked up the importance of local regulation, having produced shows such as The Bonfire of Destiny with TF1 and Netflix, with the latter also attached on Vortex with France 2.

She said Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), which regulates streamers and has become a key talking point this year ahead of a potential review in 2026, had helped to create a stronger European production industry.

“It is so important and has to be protected because it makes it possible for us French and European producers to make ambitious shows, some of which might have been too expnsive without [streamer investment].”