France 24’s new Spanish-language channel to launch on Intelsat

France 24’s new Spanish-language HD news channel is to launch on Intelsat’s prime Latin American orbital position through an agreement with media services provider Globecast.

Intelsat has renewed an agreement with Globecast to distribute two existing France 24 channels in addition to the new Spanish channel.

Globecast will distribute three channels – English, French and Spanish-speaking – to cable operators across North America, Latin America and Canada via Intelsat 21 at the 302° East oribital slot.

Marie-Christine Saragosse

The launch of a new Spanish-language service was one of the priorities identified by France Médias Monde president Marie-Christine Saragosse when she was reappointed for a new five-year term in June. Saragosse proposed the launch of the Spanish service in partnership with the Spanish-speaking editorial team of radio service RFI along with the launch of a Turkish digital service as two projects for her term.

Intelsat claims to deliver 77 of the 100 most watched channels in Latin America. Intelsat’s cable distribution neighborhood in Latin America is comprised of three satellites – Intelsat 11, Intelsat 21 and Intelsat 34.

Services provided by the satellite operator include fibre backhaul and the IntelsatOne Multi Channel per Carrier (MCPC) platform to support content distribution and expansion.

“To increase our global footprint and reach new viewers with a higher quality of content, we need a reliable, expansive distribution network that can effectively tap into different regions of the world. Continuing our partnership with Intelsat and leveraging the highly penetrated Intelsat 21 video neighborhood will enable us to deliver France 24 optimal coverage and access to more viewers in the Americas and Canada,” said Philippe Bernard, Globecast Group’s Chief Executive Officer.

“Our experience and expertise in cultivating highly-penetrated video neighborhoods in Latin America and other regions of the world enable our customers to cost-effectively reach new audiences in broader regions and increase revenue. Globecast’s decision to expand services on Intelsat 21, validates the strength of the video neighborhood. Our robust managed service offering provides Globecast with access to a world-class network of IntelsatOne fiber and teleport services to efficiently and reliably distribute media content to France 24 viewers,” said Rhys Morgan, Intelsat’s managing director, Europe sales.