French state-owned international news channel, France 24, will launch a Spanish language channel in 2017.
France 24 will broadcast six hours a day of programmes for Latin America audiences, supplemented by its programme s in French with news bulletins on the hour and half-hour. The French, English and Arabic channels’major magazines will also be broadcast for Spanish-speaking viewers.
France 24 in Spanish will be available in digital environments including website, mobile applications, and social networks.
This launch will mark the culmination of a project initiated by chairwoman and CEO of France Médias Monde (RFI, France 24, Monte Carlo Doualiya) Marie-Christine Saragosse, when she was appointed by the French government, to enable France 24 to broadcast in a language spoken by the vast majority of the population of an entire continent (in Brazil, Spanish is the second language). Spanish is spoken by some 500 million people and is also one of the most used globally on the internet and on social media.
For its broadcasts, France 24’s Spanish channel will benefit from distribution agreements that have already been signed in Latin America for the French and English channels. France 24’s new offering will allow it to develop its presence with the support of RFI’s Spanish language FM network and 400 partner radio stations in the region.