CanalPlus deal brings channel 4 million more viewers

SHANGHAI -- France Telecom subsidiary GlobeCast will carry Chinese national broadcaster CCTV's French-language channel CCTV-F in Europe, the Paris-based company said Monday.

Distributed by CanalPlus, the deal will see CCTV-F join the CanalSat Live broadcast platform as a free-to-air channel.

"The channel will potentially reach CanalSat's over 4 million-strong viewership," a GlobeCast Asia spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

CCTV will sell its own ad time for CCTV-F, she said.

"GlobeCast is also going to help deliver CCTV-4 in France," the spokesperson added. CCTV-4 is the official Chinese-language channel for overseas Chinese audience.

With the mandate of providing a better understanding of China, the 24-hour channel covers news, culture and sports events.

CCTV-F first began broadcasting in 2004, in combination with Spanish-language programs, under a single channel. The channel was then split into CCTV-F and CCTV-E, for Espanol, in October 2007.

CCTV-F was first carried by IPTV services in France, though only a limited number of French families could receive the channel.