France Télévisions looking to add movies to catch-up

French public broadcaster France Télévisions is looking to extend its catch-up TV service to encompass movies as well as TV programmes, according to report by financial daily Les Echos. 

Currently, only Canal+ and culture channel Arte are licensed to show movies in a catch-up window. However, according to Les Echos, France Télévisions, which has tried unsuccessfully in the past to add feature films to its catch-up service, now appears to be gaining the support of copyright societies, with the likes of film screenwriters, directors and producers organisation the ARP expressing support for the plan. 

According to the paper, the pubcaster is likely to have to offer something to secure the necessary rights, possibly in the form of a commitment to produce and distribute a certain number of films each year. 

Production groups will be concerned that any deal with France Télévisions does not destabilise Canal+, which has been a lynchpin of the system of support for domestic movie production in France. Les Echos reports that while France Télévisions is likely to seek the catch-up rights to all movies that it airs on linear TV, it may settle for the 60-70 a year that it co-produces, as is the case with the catch-up rights obtained by Arte.