In an effort to expand the reach of public-service content and combat misinformation, France Télévisions has entered into a strategic partnership with YouTube.
The initiative is part of the French pubcaster’s “streaming-first” strategy as it joins a growing number of broadcasters formalizing partnerships with YouTube or digital-first talent. The BBC recently sealed a wide-ranging deal with YouTube. From Lisbon, I filed this story about TF1’s alliance with creator Gaspard Guermonprez; Julien Laurent, chief digital officer at TF1, met Guermonprez at a previous YouTube EMEA News Summit.
“There have been big questions about the future of news in the digital world,” Pedro Piña, EMEA VP at YouTube, at StreamTV Europe. “Was it sustainable? Would you find its audience? Could it be monetized? News is important for our livelihoods, for democracy, and for the future of nations. It’s important for citizenship. So, there was a big question of how the news would survive this digital wave. For me, this collaboration, bringing together the new and the old, the legacy, the trust, and the new voices, and finding a path forward, is incredibly encouraging, and it’s critical for us. It’s critical for us because it’s a huge source of audience for our viewers, which continues to be our obsession and our dedication. But more importantly, we need partners who are sustainable and financially sustainable, and who can grow in the future in the new space. And this, to me, feels like what the future is going to look like.”
With its YouTube deal, France Télévisions will make thousands of hours of content available on YouTube every year shortly after the linear broadcast. The slate will include news and all of the group’s flagship daily and weekly current affairs and investigative magazines. The agreement also calls for “enhanced editorial curation” by France Télévisions with channels sorted by show and theme, plus digital-native programming. In addition. YouTube will facilitate the adoption of Likeness ID, its tool for detecting AI-generated content. To drive monetization, France TV Publicité will directly commercialize its inventory on the platform.
YouTube has almost 43 million monthly users in France.
“This strategic partnership with YouTube accelerates France Télévisions’ ‘streaming-first’ strategy,” said Delphine Ernotte Cunci, chair and CEO of France Télévisions. “In an ultra-competitive video landscape, and in the face of the French public’s growing exposure to misinformation (and as French audiences face growing exposure to misinformation), it strengthens the reach of France Télévisions’ news content among all audiences, including those furthest removed from traditional media.”
“We are proud of this strategic partnership with France Télévisions and are convinced that YouTube and public service broadcasters complement each other perfectly,” added Justine Ryst, MD of YouTube France. “We are committed to supporting the ambitions of the France Télévisions group by leveraging our technology for news and amplifying its reach.”
