Cannes festival chief Gilles Jacob has joined the supervisory board of Canal Plus Group in a management reshuffle that reflects the agreed sale of Italian pay-TV operator Telepiu to News Corp.

Eric Licoys, Vivendi Universal number two, takes over the presidency of the supervisory board - on which Vivendi chief executive Jean-Marie Messier continues to sit - and Jean-Francois Dubos, Vivendi's general secretary.

In a statement Canal Plus' parent Vivendi Universal said that the appointment of Jacob underlined the strength and endurance of Canal Plus's commitments to support French cinema. It is understood that he replaces Spanish writer Jorge Semprun, a close ally of ousted former Canal Plus boss Pierre Lescure, who resigned shortly after Lescure's departure.

Last week Xavier Couture, the new chief executive of the Canal Plus group, reshuffled his management team. Notably there were no representatives from either Italy or Spain, two countries from which it is withdrawing.