Canal+ is a French media group that from 22 October 2026 will unite its satellite and internet television service in the Czech Republic and Slovakia under its own brand. Until then the service operated under the name Skylink.[1][2]
History of Skylink and its relation to the Canal+ group
The Skylink brand was bought in 2011 by M7 Group. The Canal+ group took over M7 Group in 2019, which made Skylink part of the French group.[2]
Renaming to Canal+
The Canal+ group announced on 12 October 2026 that on 22 October 2026 it would stop using the Skylink brand in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and rename the service Canal+.[1][2] According to the operator, the change of name will not affect the operation of existing services, and customers' current subscriptions will continue unchanged.[1][2] The company intends to present details of the new offer and its terms on Monday 19 October 2026; the October announcement did not yet state how new channels would be placed in packages, nor pricing conditions.[2]
Expansion of the programme offer
Together with the renaming, the programme offer is to be extended on 22 October 2026 by four new television channels: Canal+, Canal+ Drama, Canal+ Crime and Canal+ Classics. Skylink customers are to receive them automatically as part of their existing offer.[1][2]
According to the company, the main Canal+ channel is to focus on original productions, foreign films, sports broadcasts and Czech and Slovak film premieres. Canal+ Drama is to offer dramas and relationship stories, Canal+ Crime crime and detective productions, and Canal+ Classics older films and classics.[1][2]
The existing Canal+ Action channel is now to concentrate on action films and Hollywood pictures. The Canal+ Sport channels are to keep broadcasting the English football Premier League, the women's Barclays Women's Super League, WTA tennis tournaments, padel and rugby.[1][2] The change is also to include making the Canal+ streaming app available.[1][2]
Chronology
- — On 12 October 2026 the Canal+ group announced that on 22 October it will rename the Skylink service in the Czech Republic and Slovakia as Canal+ and add four television channels; existing subscriptions are to continue. → MediaGuru Lupa.cz