Canal Plus’ total subscriptions reached 13,628,050 at the end of December, a 17 per cent increase over the previous year. International subscriptions grew by 29 per cent. A total of four million households subscribe to a digital service, an increase of 58 per cent. In France the group acquired 524,000 new subscribers for the premium channel over the year, the largest number for ten years. Churn is described as very satisfactory, at under 9 per cent. The net gain in subscribers was 135,000, a higher figure than the previous year, bringing the total to nearly 4.6 million individual subscriptions, a quarter of which are digital, plus 332,000 shared communal systems. Canalsatellite grew from 1.11 to 1.37 million. New services to come in 2000 include home betting, classified advertisements, support of e-mail to other platforms (PC, Minitel, mobile phone), as well as further development of home banking and home shopping.

In French-speaking parts of Belgium, overall subscriptions grew by 14 per cent. Canal Plus is to launch a digital DTH package in The Netherlands at the end of the first quarter of this year.

Patricia Legrand has joined Canal Plus in the post of Director of New Technology, reporting to the technical director of the group. She will represent Canal Plus on the various standardisation bodies, such as the DVB and will determine the specifications of the new generation of digital terminals in co-operation with industry.