French Pay-TV Operator OCS Ties Up with Sony in Multiyear Pact

LONDON: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and OCS have agreed on a multiyear volume deal giving the French pay-TV operator exclusive access to a wide range of box-office hits and award-winning TV series.

OCS scored the exclusive first-run rights for all of SPT’s new feature films, including Elysium, White House Down, Captain Phillips and Equalizer, as well as upcoming film Chappie and, in 2016, Robert Zememkis’ The Walk. The deal also covers the comedy series Transparent and the comedy-drama Mozart in the Jungle. OCS also picked up the exclusive premiere rights for the SPT-produced crime drama Powers, which will be available in France on March 10.

Mike Wald, the executive VP of international distribution for Sony Pictures Television, said: “This new partnership with OCS secures significant distribution of our world class film and TV content in one of our most important markets. We hope to expand this partnership to even greater levels in the near future.”

Serge Laroye, the president of OCS and executive VP of content direction at Orange, said: “This agreement with Sony Pictures Television adds significantly and qualitatively to the content for our 100 percent cinema and TV series offer and confirms our position as a premium service—it is exactly the kind of content our subscribers love. The partnership is also a reflection of both parties’ continued commitment to cinema.”