French external media boosted by France 24 Arabic launch

The channels run by France’s external media organisation, Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France (AEF), have doubled their audience worldwide in the last three years, the AEF has said.

News channel France 24, and radio services RFI and Monte Carlo Doualiya reached a combined weekly audience of over 90 million viewers and listeners last year, compared to 45 million in 2008.

In three years, France 24’s weekly audience has quadrupled, rising to 43.5 million viewers, RFI has recorded a 30% increase to over 39 million listeners, while Monte Carlo Doualiya recorded 50% growth with 7.6 million listeners.

According to the AEF, France 24’s success was largely due to the launch of its Arabic service, which has tripled its audience in the Maghreb region since its launch in October 2010.