Thomas Sénécal, 47, who until now held the position of deputy editorial director in charge of motorsports and omnisports, has been appointed director of sports for the Canal + Group from July 1st. He will take the place of Thierry Cheleman, 70, who will leave his post in June.
“Thomas is a very great professional and, since joining the group, he has demonstrated his ability to deal with all disciplines on our channels, in addition to his predilection for motor sports. Under his direction, the Formula 1TM and MotoGPTM competitions have recorded records, explains Gérald-Brice Viret, Managing Director of Channels and Programs for the CANAL+ Group in France. His vision, his high standards and his ability to meet all challenges will be essential assets in leading the sports department towards new successes. »
Before joining the sports department of the TF1 newscast, Thomas Sénécal started at Auto Moto the year when the Blues of football won their first star on the jersey.
On Canal +, where he had been a major reporter since 2009, he showed his eclecticism by following football, handball, judo or the X Games.
When the group regained F1 rights in 2013, he was in charge of the discipline. An expanded role in motorsports in general thanks to the acquisition of the rights to MotoGP or the World Rally Championship in 2019. Since last year, Thomas Sénécal had also taken the reins of omnisports.