3 September 2018
Arqiva, the international satellite and media services provider, has today announced an upgrade of its five-year contract with France 24 to incorporate the launch of a new high definition (HD) channel in the UK.
France 24, an international rolling news channel broadcast in French, English, Arabic and Spanish to 355 million households around the world, has been available to UK audiences in standard definition (SD) in the UK since 2012. The announcement means that UK customers of Sky and Freesat can access its breaking news coverage in HD with immediate effect.
Arqiva will provide its satellite services to deliver the France 24 service to Sky and Freesat through its media facility in Paris. Using state-of-the-art encoding, Arqiva is also helping France 24 optimise the use of satellite capacity for HD delivery.
Alex Pannell, Managing Director, Satellite & Media at Arqiva, said: “The most satisfying wins are undoubtedly those that result from a long-standing, successful relationship with a partner – we are delighted that we can help France 24 with the next phase of its growth.
“Arqiva prides itself on delivering high quality services that are flexible to the specific needs of our customers, and as France 24 reaches more and more audiences in the coming years, we look forward to evolving our proposition with them.”
David Couret, Director of Technical Distributions at France 24 added:“The launch of France 24 HD represents an important step in our journey to bring instant, high quality news and events coverage to UK viewers, and it is crucial to have a trusted partner like Arqiva working alongside us on this project.
“Arqiva helped us launch our first UK SD channel back in 2012, and its reliable service and technical expertise has been critical in helping us to grow in this essential market.”
10 July 2018
Move follows French media regulator warning to RT France
The Russian federal agency regulating the mass media and telecommunications, Roskomnadzor, warned French international TV news channel France 24 that it was in violation of a Russian media law for being “under the control of a foreign legal entity”, Russian news agency Tass reported on 29 June. The law limits foreign ownership of media companies in Russia to 20 per cent.
In a letter to the channel Roskomnadzor warned France 24 that it could be stripped of its licence.
A day earlier the French broadcast media regulator CSA had issued a warning to RT’s French-language outlet, RT France, over what it said was a misleading report about a suspected chemical attack in Syria broadcast earlier this year.
RT France said that “the misleading association between the translation and a specific video clip aired on 13 April was the result of a purely technical glitch, which has since been put right.”
The CSA didn’t fine RT France, but it has the authority to do so or to suspend its licence.
Clear retaliation
Roskomnadzor’s threat is seen as being a clear retaliation to the CSA warning, as confirmed by comments made by RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti. “Russia is a big country, unlike many, we can afford ourselves the luxury of tit-for-tat measures,” Simonyan was quoted saying.
25 May 2018
On 18 April, Marie-Christine Saragosse was reappointed CEO of the France Médias Monde (FMM) the group in charge of French international broadcasting for another five-year term. Saragosse, who had been in charge of FMM since 2012, had to leave her post in mid-February when her mandate lapsed after she failed to provide details of her statement of assets and interests on time owing to an administrative oversight.
France Médias Monde, includes the news channels France 24 (in French, English, Arabic and Spanish), RFI (Radio France Internationale), the news and current affairs radio station that broadcasts worldwide in French and in 13 other languages, and the Arabic-language radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya, which broadcasts from Paris to the Middle East, Mauritania, Djibouti, and South Sudan on medium wave, FM, via satellite and partner radio stations. FMM employs 1,856 people (full time equivalent).
According to the draft budget law being currently examined in Parliament France Médias Monde 2018 budget is to be set at some €263m.
Saragosse presented her Strategic Plan for FMM in April.
This plan lists FMM’s core principles as the need to abide by the group’s code of ethics, to defend freedom of information through increased security, including cyber security, and to combat fake news.
The plan stresses also that FMM is to strive to promote respect for human rights and diversity, by combating stereotypes.
FMM’s missions include, among others, “telling France’s narrative” in all its aspects, including in the political, social and economic spheres, but also its cultural and research achievements.
5 October 2016
France 24 has entered the South Korean media landscape thanks to a new distribution agreement recently concluded with Hyundai Cable Networks (HCN). The operator has 1.3 million TV subscribers across the country.
France 24 English version is now available on the channel 446 within the “Gold” package which brings together several foreign channels. In addition to this access via cable, the channel is also available on IPTV and mobile in the “Premium” offer.
With this first distribution agreement in South Korea, France 24 will also enhance its presence throughout the country with screens broadcasting the channel in the Alliances Françaises and at the Institut Français in Seoul (French cultural Institutes).
A few weeks before the 2015-2016 France-Korea year draws to an end (a France Médias Monde group partnership), France 24 will soon propose a special edition of its cultural magazine “Encore!” entirely dedicated to the Korean culture.
For more real-time information on France 24’s distribution worldwide, go to ► http://f24.my/2dMp36i
(Source: France 24 press release)
23 September 2016
Watch the trailer ► http://f24.my/2dgqiKy
FIRST DEBATE ON SEPTEMBER 27th AT 3:00am (PARIS TIME)
As part of its extensive coverage of the US presidential campaign, France 24 will live broadcast the three debates between the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Broadcast on France 24’s three channels (in English, in French and in Arabic) and on France 24’s digital platforms (France24.com, Youtube channel, Facebook pages).
Location: Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
- On October 10th at 3:00 am (Paris time)
Broadcast on France 24 English channel as well as France 24’s digital platforms in English (France24.com, Youtube channel, Facebook page).
Location: Washington University, St. Louis, MO
- On October 20th at 3:00 am (Paris time)
Broadcast on France 24’s three channels (in English, in French and in Arabic) and on France 24’s digital platforms (France24.com, Youtube channel, Facebook pages).
Location: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
Following these broadcasts, France 24’s US correspondents will analyze the key moments of each debate with guests and experts on set.
On November 8th and 9th, France 24 will team up with France Médias Monde channels RFI and MCD to offer a special night entirely dedicated to the US presidential election in three languages (English, French and Arabic).
(Source: France 24 press release)
