The French pay-TV group Canal+ has entered into an agreement to acquire African studio and channel operator ROK as part of its strategy to support its operations across the continent
Led by Mary Njoku, wife of IROKO CEO Jason Njoku, ROK will produce thousands of hours of Nollywood content to deliver movies and original TV series to CANAL+ Group audiences. ROK has produced more than 540 movies and 25 original TV series in Africa alone and also operates four linear networks.
Following the deal, Njoku will continue in a leadership role as general manager of ROK Productions, as well as maintaining a material shareholding in the company.
IROKO will take full control of IROKO+, the SVOD platform targeting French-speaking Africa, as part of the transaction. Canal+ said it would continue to collaborate with IROKO through the company’s IROKOtv SVOD app with a non-exclusive content distribution of ROK content.
Financial details of the deal were not revealed.
Mary Njoku said, “ROK captured the imagination of millions of film fans and they really supported us as we grew the company to celebrate and enjoy our African culture. I’m excited to take our platform on the next stage of its journey with Canal+ Group, who shares our passion for creating original content, supporting new talent, and together we have ambitious plans for the future.”
