MCA Will Sell Some Rights to Canal Plus

Seagram’s MCA said it agreed to sell to France’s Canal Plus some of the rights to its Universal Pictures films and television shows, including “Apollo 13” and “Columbo.” The agreement is for five years and the companies have options to extend it for as many as 10 years. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Under the accord, Canal Plus will show Universal films to its pay and satellite TV customers. It will also carry Universal’s action and mystery channel on its Canal satellite system. Universal is the latest Hollywood studio to take advantage of the strong demand for American films in Europe. Earlier this month, Viacom Inc. signed a $600-million agreement to license its movie library for free and pay TV rights. Sony and Fox are also close to signing pay TV deals with Canal Plus, according to sources.