Thomas Sénécal new head of sports at Canal

 Thomas Sénécal will take up his duties as director of sports at Canal+ on July 1.

Thomas Sénécal new head of sports at Canal

A great specialist in motor sports, Thomas Sénécal will replace, from July 1, Thierry Cheleman as director of sports for the Canal + group.

updated on January 21, 2022 at 5:45 p.m.

Thomas Sénécal (47), who until now held the position of deputy editorial director in charge of motor sports and omnisport, has been appointed director of sports for the Canal+ Group as of July 1. He will replace Thierry Cheleman (70) who will leave his post next June before working until the end of the year on sports partnership projects within the Vivendi group.

Thierry Cheleman, present in the world of sport since the beginning of the 2000s within the agency Havas Sport & Entertainment, had been in post at Canal since 2015, after having held the same position within the D8 channel (former name of C8) where he had notably installed, for the first time on the air, women's football.

Thierry Cheleman will work until next December on various sports issues at Vivendi. (S. Grangier/©Stephane Grangier)

Thomas Sénécal new head of sports at Canal

Thomas Sénécal began his career in 1998 at TF1 as a reporter and presenter for Auto Moto before joining the sports department of the JTs of the first channel. A great reporter at Canal+ since 2009 (he has notably followed Ligue 1, judo, handball, the WRC and the X Games), he was in charge of Formula 1 since 2013, when Canal+ recovered the rights (they been extended until 2024). He then oversaw the channel's motorsport editorial staff more broadly, reinforced by the arrival in 2019 of new rights, including MotoGP (the contract was extended last fall until 2029) and the World Rally Championship. (signed until 2030). In 2021, he also took charge of omnisport (boxing, padel, sailing, etc.). Now director of sports, he will have a position that, among others, since the creation of the channel, Charles Biétry, Michel Denisot, Alexandre Bompard and Cyril Linette have occupied in turn…