French media group Canal+ has solidified its control over MultiChoice, unveiling a new leadership structure for its combined African operations just months after its protracted and high-stakes takeover of the South African broadcasting giant.
The announcement on September 26, 2025, confirms the operational beginning of what is now Africa’s largest pay-TV and media entity. In a move designed to balance Parisian control with local expertise, the new top management team is an equal blend of executives from Canal+ and the outgoing MultiChoice leadership.
David Mignot, a Canal+ veteran, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the newly unified African entity. In a significant move to retain institutional knowledge and appease local stakeholders, former MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela has been named Chairman of the board for Canal+ Africa.
The new structure is organised into three core divisions — Operations, Content, and Corporate Functions — tasked with steering the media behemoth through the choppy waters of global streaming competition and the logistical challenge of merging two distinct corporate cultures.
Why it matters: A delicate balancing act
The 50/50 leadership split is more than just a headcount; it’s a strategic necessity. Canal+ fought a long battle to acquire MultiChoice, facing regulatory scrutiny in South Africa over foreign ownership laws. By creating a management team with equal representation, Canal+ is signalling a partnership rather than a conquest.
This structure aims to:
- Retain local expertise: MultiChoice’s leadership understands the complex Anglophone and Lusophone markets, which are culturally and commercially different from Canal+’s traditional Francophone strongholds.
- Navigate regulatory hurdles: Keeping senior South African executives like Mawela in prominent roles is crucial for managing relationships with the government and regulators.
- Merge distinct operations: The new team is tasked with finding synergies between Canal+’s operations and MultiChoice’s DStv, GOtv, and Showmax platforms, a process that will likely involve difficult decisions on technology, branding, and staffing.
The New-Look Team
The appointments reflect a clear division of regional and functional responsibilities, drawing a line between the legacy operations.
- At the Top: David Mignot (CEO) holds the ultimate operational authority, with Calvo Mawela (Chairman) providing strategic oversight. Nicolas Dandoy, from Canal+, takes the critical Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role.
- Regional Operations: The pay-TV business is split into three distinct regional units. Aziz Diallo will continue to head the French-speaking Africa division, while MultiChoice’s Byron du Plessis will run the lucrative South African market, and Fhulufhelo “Fhulu” Badugela will oversee the rest of Africa.
- Content Strategy: The content division is also bifurcated. Fabrice Faux will lead content for French-speaking territories. For the English and Portuguese-speaking markets, general entertainment will be led by Nomsa Philiso and sport by Rendani Ramovha — both seasoned MultiChoice executives. This suggests that, for now, content strategy will remain tailored to linguistic regions rather than being fully centralised.
- Integration and Technology: Key integration roles have been created, with Karim Bouzid appointed Director of Integration and Michel Sibony as Chief Value Officer, tasked with realising financial synergies. Sabelo Mawali, from MultiChoice, is the new Chief Technology Officer for the continent, a vital role as platform consolidation begins.
What’s next: The real work begins
With the leadership team in place, Canal+’s focus now shifts from acquisition to execution. The key challenges ahead are:
- The Streaming War: The combined entity faces intense pressure from global giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, which are investing heavily in local African content. The new team must decide the future of MultiChoice’s streaming service, Showmax, and how to position it against its deep-pocketed US rivals.
- Cultural Integration: Merging a French, European-centric company with a South African, pan-African one will be a significant human resources and cultural challenge. Clashes over management style, language, and corporate processes are almost inevitable.
- Delivering Synergies: Investors will be watching closely to see if Mignot’s team can deliver the cost savings and revenue growth promised during the acquisition. This will likely involve consolidating technology stacks, negotiating pan-African content deals, and streamlining overlapping corporate functions.
While the new leadership announcement marks the official end of MultiChoice as an independent company, it is only the beginning of a long and complex journey to build a single, cohesive African media powerhouse. The success or failure of this continental gambit now rests on the shoulders of this newly blended team.