News channel France 24 expands coverage in Vietnam

France 24, a TV news broadcaster based in Paris, has recently signed a distribution agreement with five new operators in Vietnam to reach more audiences after nearly two years in the country.

After receiving its editing license in September 2016, France 24 started with the broadcast on the offers of FPT Telecom and VNPT Media Corporation in November that year. To strengthen its presence in the country, the channel has recently inked deals with VTVCab, Viettel, HTV-TMS, Clip TV and K+, making it available to 2.2 million additional families, bringing the total audience to 3.75 million Vietnamese families, representing nearly 30 percent of the Vietnamese houses equipped with a television set.

On May 24, the channel will debut its new program that is designed particularly for Vietnamese audiences, with a focus on "Vietnam becoming a major player in Asian football" through the experience of a football school in the country’s Central Highlands, "The Vietnamese e-commerce boom" and a report on "Réhahn, Vietnam through the lens," about the famous French photographer in Vietnam.

So far, the broadcasting in Vietnam is English-speaking, but as the country is a member of the Organization Internartionale de la Francophonie, the channel is planning to broadcast French content and the launch of the French speaking channel has been encouraged by Vietnam.

France 24 brings news from Paris to 183 countries with a different perspective to global affairs. It is a 24/7 news channel broadcasted in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. The channel delivers international news bulletins with analytical commentary every half hour. With 35 nationalities working in the newsroom and 160 correspondent bureaus all over the world, the newsroom guarantees diversity, confrontation of viewpoints and debate.

"In a nutshell, France 24 is Liberté, Egalité, Actualité," said Marie-Christine Saragosse, Chairwoman and CEO of France Médias Monde, which owns the TV news broadcaster.

She said France 24 adheres to the three-R motto: responsiveness, which means frequent news bulletins, priority to live broadcasts and more emphasis on ground reporting; rigor which means respect for journalistic ethics or the need for reliable information; and review, meaning facts are contextualized, recognized expert opinions are provided and longer formats have been developed so that current affairs are put into perspective.

The channel also offers some culture-oriented broadcasts such as “Encore!,” which puts culture and French art of living at the forefront. One of France 24’s emblematic shows is “The Observers,” a collaborative weekly program produced exclusively with content provided by amateurs. This broadcast puts the human and participative aspects of the work at the heart of the channel.

In continental scale, France 24 has also developed programs such as “Access Asia.” This 12-minute Monday program runs exclusive reports, features and analysis on political and social events from across Asia.

Asked about her personal committment at France 24, Saragosse said she makes sure France 24 promotes gender equality without any doubts. "Women are as capable as men, and women’s self-confidence shall be growing for the best," she said. France 24's weekly program "The 51%" is about women reshaping the world, bringing stories about women who are challenging the way we think.