Radio-Canada & France Télévisions Distribution Enter Content Tie-Up

MONTREAL: Radio-Canada and France Télévisions Distribution have entered into a cross-distribution agreement, in an effort to increase the worldwide exposure of their programming.

France Télévisions Distribution (FTD) will distribute and exploit Radio-Canada’s catalogue of educational programs, documentaries and news reports in Europe, French-speaking Africa and the CIS region. The deal also includes the use of Radio-Canada’s formats. The initial two-year deal can be renewed by the partners.

More than 30 hours of programming distributed by FTD will be made available for a three-year period on Radio-Canada’s VOD platform TOU.TV. This brings to the service reports from the 2009 and 2010 seasons of Thalassa, produced by France 3, and the doc Marilyn: Dernières Séances.

“Driven by their desire to enrich the cultural and democratic life of communities, public broadcasters are natural partners,” said Robert Trempe, the senior executive director of the CBC/Radio-Canada French Services Revenue Group. “Radio-Canada is pleased to be able to draw on France Télévisions Distribution’s expertise and international presence to expand the audience for Canadian productions.”

“TOU.TV is North America’s largest French-language entertainment web TV site. It features over 2,000 hours of on-demand video content and has racked up over 50 million video views since its launch,” added Geneviève Rossier, Radio-Canada’s executive director of Internet and digital services. “A growing audience can now enjoy prestigious documentary programming from the France Télévisions Distribution catalogue.”

Yann Chapellon, the CEO of France Télévisions Distribution, added, “This outstanding agreement enables France Télévisions Distribution to expand the digital presence of its catalogues on innovative platforms such as TOU.TV. At the same time, our expertise in international sales will help showcase the high-quality educational formats and programming provided by Radio-Canada.”