TF1 Vision to Offer ABC’s Lost Online

PARIS/LONDON, February 4:
In a deal with Disney-ABC International Television, TF1 Vision will offer the
fourth season of Lost online,
for streaming or download-to-rent via its broadband player, within 24 hours
from each episode’s initial U.S. broadcast.

Starting with the first
episode, new episodes with French subtitles will become available every Friday,
a day after the U.S. broadcast. To kick off the launch, TF1 Vision will offer
an hour-long episode, titled “Past, Present and Future,” which is an overview
of the first three seasons.

This offer is directly
available from the TF1 Vision website, as well as through its IPTV partners
(Neuf, Free, Club Internet, SFR, Alice) and Archos’ set-top box service.

“The great success of Heroes season 2 and the launching of Lost season 4 on video premium proves the leadership of
TF1 Vision on the VOD market,” said Pierre Brossard, the CEO of TF1 Video. “By
providing consumers the best services, as well as a simpler and more affordable
offer preventing them from illegal downloading, TF1 Vision becomes apparent as
one of the most dynamic VOD service, filling up the fans with the best TV
series.”

Added Tom Toumazis, the executive VP and managing director of
Disney-ABC International Television for EMEA and Canada: “This is a landmark
agreement for us, to bring Lost
to French viewers in under 24 hours. Working with ABC Studios, and
international partners such as TF1, we’re at the forefront of exploiting
advancements in technology to bring must-see series to international markets,
ever closer to the original U.S. broadcast, in more flexible ways.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski