African streaming subscribers could soon see a more personalised and potentially cheaper viewing experience for local content as French media giant Canal+ rolls out artificial intelligence tools.
From June this year, its subscribers will start receiving tailored recommendations that highlight locally produced shows, regional languages and culturally relevant stories.
Currently, subscribers have to scroll through vast libraries and sift through a mix of foreign and local titles to view their preferred content.
Through a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud, Canal+ aims to accelerate video indexing across its vast content library using an enhanced classification system to create a rich, multi-modal database combining audio, video, and text.
Canal+ said AI-driven curation will analyse viewing habits and engagement patterns to surface content that matches individual tastes, helping audiences discover African productions that might otherwise remain buried in its vast streaming catalogue, now composed of Francophone and Anglophone countries.
“This increased granularity in content classification will enable smarter, more personalised content recommendations on the homepage of the Canal+ app, matching each subscriber’s preferences according to their viewing habits,” said the company in a statement.
By identifying regional viewing trends, Canal+ is looking to promote titles that resonate in specific countries or communities, a move that will also give local creators greater visibility while strengthening demand for African storytelling.
“We are excited to push creative boundaries by providing creators with tools that enable AI-generated video scenes impossible to produce using traditional methods,” said Stéphane Baumier, chief technology officer of Canal+.
MultiChoice has long dominated Africa’s local content landscape, backed by a deep catalogue and a strong production engine tailored to regional audiences. Live sports, particularly football, remain its biggest draw, with many subscribers across the continent paying primarily for access to premium matches.
Canal+ is now betting that a mix of artificial intelligence, scale and pricing adjustments can reverse the trend. The group is targeting 100 million subscribers by 2030, up from a combined 42.3 million across Canal+ and MultiChoice today, spanning more than 70 countries. It has identified Africa as a key growth engine. – Bird Story Agency
