schedules with the same objective
of responsiveness, rigour and
retrospective and one shared
feature: the human dimension,
which is central to all its
programmes.
Of course we are a news
channel, but we reject "fast news".
France 24 has a simple editorial
line: we provide all the information
once it has been verified. We
explain events by providing
viewers with the key to
understanding the world. We also
have a unique network of
journalists, with 66 nationalities
represented in our Paris head
office, 14 languages spoken, and
several hundred correspondents’
offices on each of the five
continents.
What is your offer in the digital
space?
France 24 was born with the new
media generation and its rapid
success has been achieved on all
types of screens where the channel
broadcasts in three languages: as
well as classic linear broadcasts,
France 24 is available on the
internet, mobile applications and
the social networks. France 24’s
online platforms notch up an
average 14m visits every month.
We have just launched a
modernised website which will
now inspire the channel’s entire
application ecosystem. All of our
on‐demand content is now easier to
access and these new interfaces
include participatory platforms that
provide users with more ways of
consuming news. France 24 has
large communities on the social
networks with over 6.5m followers
and interacts increasingly them.
That is also why we are setting
up a Social TV environment.
Viewers can take part through the
social networks in
The Debate
and
The World This Wee
k programmes in
French, English and Arabic.
We’ve seen some brilliant publicity
campaigns from France 24 in the
past - will there be more?
You’ve probably noticed our recent
campaign on London taxis to mark
France 24’s launch on Virgin in the
UK which featured our channel’s
editorial line with a touch of British
humour. That’s just the
beginning… To accompany our
global visual identity revamp and
new programme schedule launch,
we are running a worldwide
advertising campaign in our
priority distribution regions. This
campaign is entitled “Liberté,
Egalité, Actualité” and will
sometimes include the tagline
“World News made in France”
depending on the market. It
features Agence‐France Presse
images of news events on every
continent.
Looking at the media landscape in
France, how is that changing?
One of the major trends is the
splintering of the broadcasting offer
and the segmentation of how we
consume news. In France, with the
launch of Digital Terrestrial
Television, more than a quarter of
France’s TV audience has switched
over to the new channels
distributed as part of this offer. This
is one of the reasons why France 24
has asked to broadcast its own
programmes via DTT on its own
territory as well as via all the
existing cable, satellite and ADSL
offers in France. Of course our
expansion in the new media also
concerns France. Many French
people watch (and read) France 24
on the internet and mobile
applications.
What are the priorities for the next
two years?
We will continue to develop each of
the broadcasters that make up
France Médias Monde, to
consolidate their presence in the
regions where they are already
well‐established, to conquer new
territories and to increase their
market share. More than ever
before, our journalists’ safety is also
a key priority, given their
increasingly difficult working
conditions and the growing
number of conflict zones around
the world.
Marie-Christine Saragosse,
thank you.
approach to news. The marked
interest for the African continent is
a positive thing and reflects its
dynamism. France 24 has
established itself as the benchmark
news channel in several French‐
speaking African countries. Its
English channel’s audience is also
growing significantly in English‐
speaking African countries, several
of which already broadcast it via
DTT, for example Nigeria, Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda.
What is your USP for potential
carriage partners?
France 24 upholds “a certain idea of
the news” which is a far cry from
propaganda or manipulation. It
offers a French perspective of
international news, a “panoramic”
view of the world which respects
diversity and difference, and
defends universal and humanist
values. Our “made in France”
international news channel
continues to enrich its programme
We need to
be visible
on a global
scale
“
”
60
|
ISSUE 1 2014
|
THE CHANNEL
THE CHANNEL
|
NEWS CHANNELS
