France24 non-stop news channel on air today

December 6, 2006

The launch of France's new 24 hour TV news channel, France 24, saw the new jointly owned channel start by going online. A streaming broadcast became available on the internet from 19:29 GMT today. Future plans are to have the new channel available on cable and satellite with English and French reporting. Coverage in Arabic and Spanish is among the ambitious future plans for the channel.

Founded by a joint venture between private group TF1 and the public France Télévisions the new channel is managed by Alain de Pouzilhac, former Havas head. Employing 170 journalists and a total of 380 people, France 24 is funded by 86 million euro of public money.

The motto of the new freely-available international channel is "un regard français", aiming to promote a French world-view the channel was a project with the blessing of the country's president, Jacques Chirac.

As a free channel streaming over the Internet and available by satellite the following are the carriers who have agreed to broadcast transmissions: Hot-Bird 7A, Astra 1KR, EuroBird (Europe), ArabSat, NileSat (Maghreb, Middle-east), NSS7 (bandeC) (Africa). In the United States it will be available on the Comcast network, and over the air into Washington D.C. A variety of government Internet sites such as the Department of State, and international entities will carry the channel's content. It is not known when it will be available in Canada.

The content sources will be from France 2 and TF1 desks, AFP, RFI and RFO.