HÀ NỘI — International news channel France 24 has strengthened its presence in Việt Nam, after gaining new distribution agreements with five operators in Việt Nam.

Thanks to these agreements with VTVCab, Viettel, HTV-TMS, Clip TV and K+, the channel has expanded the broadcast of France 24 in English across the country considerably, reaching an additional 2.2 million households.

Since November 2016 the channel has been available through FPT Telecom and the VNPT Media Corporation. The channel is now available in 3.75 million households in Việt Nam, representing some 27 per cent of Vietnamese households equipped with a television set.

To celebrate its expansion, the channel will broadcast a special programme about Viet Nam worldwide today. At 11.45am, on the exclusive Focus programme, a five-minute report entitled Vietnam Becoming a Major Player in Asian Football will be presented.

Following the news bulletins the channel will show two reports about the country: The Vietnamese E-commerce Boom, and Réhahn Croquevielle, Vietnam Through the Lens. The latter is about a French photographer living in Việt Nam, who opened the “Precious Heritage Art Gallery” in Hội An, showcasing his photos of the country’s 54 ethnicities.

Speaking at a press conference on May 23 in Hà Nội about France 24’s expansion, Chairwoman and CEO of France Médias Monde, Marie-Christine Saragosse, said: “With a presence in 183 countries on five continents, and more than 62 million viewers, we hope the special Vietnamese programme will introduce more about Việt Nam to those who do not know much about your country.”

Also attending the event, director of France 24, Marc Saikali, said that the channel will focus on producing more programmes to attract Vietnamese viewers.

“We will also produce more reports and increase the broadcasting time of programmes about Việt Nam. We will definitely enhance the presence of our reporters in Việt Nam as well,” he said.  

From its newsroom in Paris, France 24 gives a different perspective on global affairs all over the world. With 35 nationalities including Vietnamese working in the newsroom and 160 correspondent bureaus all over the world, the expression of diversity, confrontation of viewpoints and debate are central to the channel’s programming.

Alongside the broadcast of France 24 in English, the channel plans to broadcast its French programmes in Việt Nam in the near future. — VNS