Canal+ takes full ownership of SPI International, completing deal for outstanding 30% stake

Black Money Love

France’s Canal+ has taken full ownership of SPI International, the European TV channel and streamer operator behind brands including FilmBox, Film1, Kino Polska and streamer Dizi.

The French giant initially took a 70% stake in SPI in 2021, but it confirmed in April that it would be exercising an option to pick up the remaining 30%.

That deal has now concluded, with Canal+ buying the outstanding 30% from Hilda Uziyel.

Loni Farhi, who founded SPI almost three decades ago, stepped down in April alongside CEO Berk Uziyel, with Canal+ International director of business integration, Erwan Luherne, and Jeroen Bergman, chief of content & business development at Canal+ owned M7 Group, taking up their remits.

SPI operates more than 40 free-to-air and pay-TV channels across European markets including Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, the Netherlands and Russia.

It is also behind movie service FilmBox and launched its Dizi-branded streamer in 2021, which focuses on Turkish content such as Black Money Love. The company also works with over 700 third-party operators worldwide to offer access to its linear and on-demand content, while also distributing content.