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Elsa Keslassy
International Correspondent
@elsakeslassy See All
AFP via Getty Images Canal+ boss Maxime Saada sought to clarify his controversial comments regarding signatories of a petition criticizing Vincent Bolloré’s growing influence over French media, insisting there would be “absolutely no question of hunting [them] down” while defending Canal+’s role as one of the French film industry’s biggest financial backers. Speaking at Canal+’s general assembly on Wednesday, Saada said his remarks made during the Cannes Film Festival had been distorted and pushed back against reports suggesting the company was creating a blacklist. It was Canal+ Group‘s second general assembly since being listed as a standalone banner, and splitting from its former parent company Vivendi, at the London stock exchange. The controversy erupted after roughly 600 film professionals, including Juliette Binoche and Arthur Harari, signed a petition raising concerns over Canal+’s acquisition of a 34% stake in a leading French exhibition chain, UGC (with a potential move to full control by 2028); as well as highlighted the broader concentration of media power tied to Bolloré’s empire and a rightward editorial shift across its outlets in the run up to the 2027 presidential elections in France. Amplifying concerns over Bolloré’s ideological agenda is the presence of CNews, France’s equivalent to Fox News, within Canal+ Group. The banner was booed and whistled at Cannes screenings whenever the Canal+ logo appears onscreen.
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