CANAL+ Group has launched a French-speaking channel package over a satellite in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia as the result of a partnership between CANAL OVERSEAS, the CANAL+ Group affiliate in charge of international operations and development, and ARABSAT, one of the leading satellite operators in the world and the number one satellite provider in Arab countries.

CANAL OVERSEAS has developed its expertise as an international pay-TV operator. It is responsible for putting together the offer, technical support, conditional access, and marketing.

While ARABSAT is in charge of broadcasting the offer over North Africa via its new BADR 6 satellite launched in August 2008.

Marketed under the LE BOUQUET DE CANAL+ brand, the package includes more than 25 channels covering the most popular TV topics :

• Premium: CANAL+ ESSENTIEL, the premium channel specially developed for North Africa countries, CANAL+ CINEMA, and CANAL+ Family
• Movies: CINECINEMA FRISSON and CINECINEMA STAR
• General-interest channels: France, France 3, France 5, and TV Breizh
• Entertainment: Game One
• Music: MTV, NRJ Hits, Trace and M6 Music Hits
• Discovery: Palnète, Planète Thalassa, Ushuaïa TV and Histoire
• Children: Piwi, Télétoon
• News: iTélé and LCI
• Lifestyle: Cuisine TV
• Sports: Infosport, OL TV, OM TV, Girondins TV

It will use pre-paid cards and will be encrypted with Viaccess. The bouquet is the first legally available DTH bouquet for the region reportedly many people subscribe to the French national CanalSat bouquet, using overspill of the satellite signal. The CA system used will be Viaccess PC 4.0. Canal Overseas claims the potential audiences is 13 million viewers, of which 10 million are already enjoying satellite reception.