We’re thrilled to welcome Groupe CANAL+ as a Silver Sponsor of this year’s market. We sat down with Christopher McLoughlin, Director of Documentaries at CANAL+, to discuss how the international heavyweight is moving forward, what types of documentaries they are looking for, and how they make the most out of Sunny Side of the Doc.

Christopher McLoughlin

1/ International Priorities

In a sector undergoing major transformation, where are you focusing your strategic efforts internationally, and with what objectives?

Groupe CANAL+ has entered a new phase with the acquisition of MultiChoice, Africa’s leading entertainment platform. We now have more than 40 million subscribers worldwide and operate in over 70 countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Documentaries support this international strategy by developing both territory-specific content and, increasingly, multi-country or global productions intended to be broadcast across all CANAL+ territories.

Certain subjects are particularly well suited to these international projects, including documentaries on global sports (such as football or Formula 1), historical topics, geopolitical issues, and contemporary stories unfolding across multiple countries.

In terms of sourcing programmes, we of course work with French producers, but we also acquire a large number of international documentaries.

2/ What Is Changing Your Decisions

What is the one editorial, technological, or market change that is having the greatest impact on the way you select documentary projects today, and how?

Our selection process still relies above all on the strength of the narrative, the story, and the characters on the one hand, and on excellence in production and directing on the other. These standards are at the core of CANAL+’s DNA across all our content. The technological tools and production methods used to achieve this level of excellence may evolve, but the fundamental criteria remain the same.

From a market perspective, the main change is the internationalisation of the group, which for certain programmes leads us to consider the documentary’s potential across all CANAL+ territories.

3/ New Collaborations

The theme of Sunny Side of the Doc 2026, “The Right Move / Le Bon Élan,” encourages the creation of new alliances. What kind of partner are you hoping to meet in La Rochelle that you have not yet found?

For us, Sunny Side is a particularly useful and relevant forum for strengthening existing relationships or building new ones with documentary producers, directors, and distributors. In recent years, several of our projects have originated from conversations started at Sunny Side, in some cases with producers or directors we had previously worked with little or not at all. Continuing to build these partnerships with documentary talent is, of course, fundamental for CANAL+.

Don’t miss the Groupe CANAL+ Broadcaster Lineup on Tuesday, 23 June at 14:00 in the Auditorium.