Thomson has announced it has reached a strategic agreement with FRANCE 24, the new global 24-hour satellite TV news channel. The transaction, valued at more than 30 million euro, calls for Thomson to design and build the broadcast and technology infrastructure ahead of the network’s December 2006 launch, and provide a wide range of operational, maintenance and training support services. The technologies and services will be delivered by units across Thomson, including Grass Valley Systems, part of the company’s Systems division, and Technicolor Network Services-VCF Thematiques, part of its Services division.
FRANCE 24 will broadcast news in several languages on two different channels, to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the east coast of the United States. Equally owned by the TF1 and France Televisions Groups, FRANCE 24 will launch with a dedicated staff of more than 170 bilingual broadcast journalists in Paris, as well as correspondents reporting from bureaus around the world. The editorial team will rely upon notable French news sources such as AFP, RFI, TV5 Monde and other foreign channels.
Thomson’s Grass Valley business will design and install a state-of-the-art digital studio and master control room. Grass Valley also will provide a host of products, including cameras, encoders and switchers.
Technicolor will deliver a wide range of services for the operation and maintenance of the technical infrastructure and will deploy more than 100 technical staff at FRANCE 24’s site.
For more information, visit www.thomson.net.