France 24 lines up new services

by Emma Barnett Media Week 06-Dec-07, 16:10

LONDON - France 24, the international news network, is to launch an on-demand mobile service in French, English and Arabic.

The broadcaster, backed by France’s leading commercial broadcasters, has inked a worldwide deal with Nokia to offer the on-demand service via the handset manufacturer’s new range of mobile phones.

In addition, the broadcaster has launched a new user-generated content website allowing users to post news video, text or photos. The observers.france24.com portal is being launched to help broaden France 24’s global news coverage.

To mark its first anniversary, the channel will broadcast 24 hours of programmes in Arabic. The move is part of France 24’s bid to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, a region where several news channels have launched in recent months.