There was already TV5, a worldwide French-speaking channel combining the best of all the major French-speaking channels from France, Belgium, Switzerlan and Quebec. Channels include news, films, documentaries and cultural programmes. Now, France is aiming at an exclusively worldwide news channel, in the line with CNN, and will be called French International News Network (CFII).
BBC News : French channel set for 2006 start
BBC News : French channel set for 2006 start
The new network will be owned by commercial network TF1 and the state-funded company France Televisions.
The government has given initial funding of 30m euros (??23m) for this year, and allocated another 65m euros (??44m) for next year.
The European Commission gave the green light to CFII in June, saying it did not breach EU state aid rules.
Employing around 240 staff, it will produce programmes initially beamed to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
CFII will broadcast news around the clock in French, with a four-hour slot of programmes in English. There are plans to add programmes in Arabic and Spanish in due course.