Paddington meets Astérix as Canal+ and Hachette forge book-to-screen alliance
Canal+ and Hachette Livre Announce Strategic Joint Venture
By Leo Marchandon
May 5 (Reuters) - French broadcaster Canal+ and publishing giant Hachette Livre are joining forces to leverage Hachette's extensive literary catalogue for premium screen adaptations, they said on Tuesday.
ON SCREEN: A New Era for Literary Adaptations
The new joint venture, named ON SCREEN, brings the maker of "Paddington" and the publisher of "Astérix" under a single roof dedicated to turning pages into pixels.
Access to a Vast Catalogue
The venture will give Canal+ privileged access to the world's third-largest publishing group's catalogue of more than 100,000 titles, spanning fiction, children's and young adult books, and illustrated works published in a dozen languages.
Iconic Titles and Authors
Hachette owns the rights to "Astérix", one of the world's best-selling comic book series with more than 370 million copies sold and its published authors include James Patterson, Stephenie Meyer and Michael Connelly.
StudioCanal’s Cinematic Success
Canal+'s films business, StudioCanal, has meanwhile built Paddington into one of cinema's most beloved franchises, a model it now hopes to replicate at scale.
Market Rationale and Growth Potential
The market rationale is compelling: book adaptations represent around 40% of the top 100 global box office while accounting for less than 10% of total film production, the companies said.
"This opens a clear opportunity to rethink how literary IP is brought to screen, and to build a sustained pipeline of premium adaptations with global reach," they added.
StudioCanal’s Literary Adaptation Label
StudioCanal has already laid the groundwork, having launched Stories, a dedicated literary adaptation label, in 2024.
Corporate Background and Ownership
Both companies were spun off from media conglomerate Vivendi in December 2024, with Canal+ listed in London and Hachette on Euronext Growth Paris.
Despite their separation, France's Bolloré family remains a major shareholder of both, holding around 30% in each company.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
