Is 40 the age of reason? The age of crisis? The beginning of the end? On November 4, 2024, Canal+ celebrates its fortieth anniversary. If the channel is celebrating with a grand evening hosted by Antoine De CaunesIt’s too good an opportunity not to wonder whether Canal+ is making a good-looking forty-something.
Ringard and PAF boss? The triumphant channel of the 1990s been able to adapt? We based our assessment on the three pillars on which Canal built its legend: cinema, soccer and porn.
A constant commitment to cinema
“La chaîne du cinéma” (The cinema chain) is how Canal+ called itself when it was founded. For forty years, StudioCanal has been a key player in the production of films and series in both French and English. With success like L’Amour oufthe company still seems to be on track to continue its love affair with French cinema.
Its image as an “innovative”, “in-your-face” channel has deteriorated over the years, and with competition from other platforms, but Canal+ is not resting on its laurels, as the corporate newspaper reveals. Box-office Pro. At the beginning of the year, Canal+ pledged to continue its commitment to French cinema for another five years, saying it could put more than a billion euros on the table.
43% of the films financed by Canal+ are so-called diversity films, i.e. with a budget of less than 4 million euros,” explained Maxime Saada, Chairman of the Canal+ Group’s Management Board, during his hearing at the French National Assembly at the beginning of 2024. This represents 25% of our investments, whereas our obligations are 17%.”
In his words, this enthusiastic commitment concerns all types of film, to defend “the diversity of French cinema production, particularly in terms of production budgets, diversity of talent, filmmakers and types of film financed”. All of which makes us very optimistic for the future of Canal+, which also includes OCS/Orange, for its involvement in the 7th Art.
Soccer in a new division
Midlife is associated with the crisis that bears its name, and with divorce. Canal+ is no exception. On the eve of its 40th birthday, the encrypted channel cut ties with its faithful companion, Ligue 1. Paradoxically, Canal has come out of this stormy separation stronger than ever, while French soccer is still in a state of crisis. the French Senate.
From the king of sports, it has kept only the sure values, the Champions League, the Premier League and Hervé Mathoux. In its treatment of sport, the channel is to TV what 501 is to jeans: timeless and identifiable, never revolutionary but never old-fashioned. Injecting new blood helps to renew the air: Habib Beye has become a meme on the networksSamir Nasri captivates with his anecdotes and Bertrand Latour, the latest addition, brings a welcome hint of impertinence.
Perhaps it’s outside soccer that Canal is looking for a fresh perspective. Formula 1 has given itself a dust-up – aided by Netflix – with Julien Fébreau and his promise of “rendez-vous au premier virage”. In his latest feat of arms, the journalist was able to witness the “crossover” between Charles Leclerc and an air force squadron in the docu “supersonique”. There’s no more Ligue 1, but there’s always the idea.
The turn of ethical porn
Before Canal+ started broadcasting porn, it was the tapes we exchanged under the cloak and a few cinemas with a male clientele. So the new ritual of porn on the first Sunday of the month on TV was a bit of a revolution on our small screens. But now that porn is just a click away, is it still subversive to keep showing it on TV?
Anoushka, director of ethical and feminist porn filmsAnoushka has been working with Canal+ for ten years, directing six films for the channel and preparing the seventh: “Chronique d’un été”. For her, “TV porn isn’t subversive, it’s cinema, like any other film, it’s a genre. Canal+ produces feature-length films that last between 1h20 and 1h30, with a real narrative, sets, casting, and above all according to an ethical charter, which ensures a safe shooting environment, with fair remuneration, attention to the notion of consent, and with the presence of an intimacy coordinator. It’s a guarantee of quality. It’s very different from what you can find on streaming platforms, where there are essentially short, raw scenes and gonzo, where you don’t know where the images come from or the conditions under which they were shot”.
Faced with competition from the tubes, Canal+ has a role to play in the porn arena: “The channel has taken a societal turn, according to Anoushka. The porn films it produces are still very popular, and give a boost to the porn industry. In my films, I tackle committed themes from a feminist and queer point of view. I don’t think I could go as far in these subjects with another channel.”