World Cup Rights Chaos Leaves Francophone Africa Channel-Hopping
Canal+ is not responsible for blacking out M6’s World Cup broadcasts in Africa because New World TV holds the regional rights in 19 French-speaking countries New World TV retained all 104 matches for pay TV and sublicensed 34 to public broadcasters, but operational and distribution problems have limited access for. . .
Canal+ is not responsible for blacking out M6’s World Cup broadcasts in Africa because New World TV holds the regional rights in 19 French-speaking countriesNew World TV retained all 104 matches for pay TV and sublicensed 34 to public broadcasters, but operational and distribution problems have limited access for many viewersWith complaints continuing through the end of the tournament, New World TV faces questions about recovering its rights costs and improving access before the 2030 World CupFootball fans across French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa have taken to social media to complain about access to the 2026 World Cup. Since the tournament began, only a limited number of matches have been available free-to-air, while difficulties accessing games through paid platforms have left many viewers confused. Some social media users have blamed Canal+, the pay-TV operator that dominates the region’s French-speaking markets. In 2023, Canal+, whose operations are concentrated mainly in French-speaking markets, had just over 7. 5 million subscribers out of the 43 million pay-TV subscribers recorded by research firm Digital TV Research. African social media users have criticized Canal+ because M6 airs World Cup matches in France but is blacked out on the operator’s African packages during the games. The blackout may frustrate subscribers, but it is not Canal+’s decision. When a free French channel such as M6 is included in Canal+ packages in Africa, Canal+ may carry only the programs it is authorized to distribute in those territories. Sports rights are negotiated territory by territory, and M6 acquired the rights to broadcast World Cup matches only in France. In French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, New World TV holds the rights to those matches. Canal+ Africa is therefore contractually required to black out M6’s feed when the channel begins airing a match in France. The practice, standard among broadcasters, is known in the industry as a territorial blackout. Viewers’ confusion partly reflects Canal+’s long-standing association with major football tournaments in the region. Distribution of 2026 World Cup Rights by RegionRegionPay-TV rights holderFree-to-air coverageFrench-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, 19 countriesNew World TV, all 104 matches34 matches sublicensed to national broadcastersEnglish- and Portuguese-speaking AfricaSuperSport/DStv, part of the Canal+ group, all 104 matchesVaries by local marketNorth Africa and the Middle EastbeIN Sports, all 104 matchesVaries by local agreementFrance, for comparisonbeIN Sports, all 104 matchesM6/M6+, 54 matchesHow Canal+ Lost the World Cup in AfricaFor more than a decade, Canal+ dominated coverage of major football competitions in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. The pay-TV operator used the World Cup, the Champions League and the Africa Cup of Nations as major subscription drivers, helping it retain millions of African customers. Then, in 2022, in a move that surprised the industry, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, awarded exclusive pay-TV rights in 19 French-speaking territories to a new entrant, New World TV, a pan-African group based in Lomé, Togo. The Togolese group presented its strategy as pan-African. It argued that African broadcast rights should be marketed by an African company. In 2026, FIFA again awarded New World TV the rights to all 104 World Cup matches in 19 African countries. New World TV retained exclusive pay-TV rights to every match and sublicensed 34 games, one per day, to African public broadcasters. Canal+, meanwhile, remained active in other territories. SuperSport, which is distributed through DStv and became a Canal+ subsidiary when the group completed its acquisition of MultiChoice in September 2025, continues to cover the entire tournament in English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa. In French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, however, viewers have had to turn to New World TV. Operational Problems at New World TVAfter experiencing problems with its coverage of the 2022 World Cup, New World TV faced higher expectations this time. However, several African sports and business media outlets reported turmoil within the company in the days before the tournament began. Some staff members were stranded outside the United States because they lacked U. S. visas, even though the company had rented a fully equipped studio in New Jersey for about 300,000 euros to accommodate presenters and journalists. According to information reported by those media outlets, the technical provider responsible for production logistics secured travel authorizations for its own personnel but did not include the Togolese editorial staff in its applications. Sport News Africa had previously reported that payment delays at the company prompted some sports newsroom employees to leave. The channel’s Paris studio closed because service providers had not been paid, while production of some Champions League programs was hastily relocated to Lomé to reduce costs. Several teams formally raised concerns about inconsistent payments and outstanding invoices. Management responded with last-minute payments in an effort to ease tensions. Distribution of the group’s set-top boxes also remains a major problem across the continent. A well-established distribution network for the devices has yet to emerge. To expand its reach despite the logistical problems, New World TV struck several last-minute partnerships, including one with Orange Middle East and Africa to add its sports channels to the Max it TV app in nine countries. These include Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even so, access remains limited. New World TV holds the rights, but many viewers in the affected markets still cannot access its channels. Complaints about World Cup coverage continue to pour in on social media, with only the tournament’s final two matches remaining. African viewers have ultimately turned to legal and illegal alternatives to follow the competition, raising questions about whether New World TV can recoup its rights costs. New World TV and FIFA now have four years before the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, to address the access problems. Servan Ahougnon