television channel . for the domestic services see france info and france info tv channel . france 24 launched 6 december 2006 owned by france m dias monde picture format 16 9 576i sdtv slogan libert galit actualit french international news 24 7 english country france language french english arabic formerly called cha ne fran aise d information internationale before july 2006 website www.france24.com availability terrestrial digital in italy channel 141 if signal of canale italia is received french . saorview ireland tg4 02 00 07 00 wnyj west milford new jersey channel 66.2 wybe philadelphia pennsylvania channel 35.3 kyes tv anchorage alaska channel 5.4 wsju tv san juan channel 31.3 wnvt washington dc channel 30.7 dtt paris area 33 uhf dtt french overseas 24 uhf kcsm f24 san francisco california channel 60.2 pal in jakarta 62 uhf wtbs ld atlanta ga channel 26.4 satellite canalsat channel 105 french channel 401 arabic channel 407 english dish network channel 619 english freesat channel 205 english sky channel 513 english sky italia channel 521 english channel 538 french tv vlaanderen digitaal channel 55 english channel 56 french zon tvcabo channel 208 english channel 209 french yes channel 104 canaldigitaal channel 85 english channel 199 french channel 228 arabic eutelsat 28a 11426 v 27500 2 3 english indovision channel 352 english osn middle east & north africa channel 421 english channel 459 arabic tvb network vision hong kong channel 93 english bein middle east & north africa channel 149 arabic channel 150 english channel 151 french dream satellite philippines channel 13 english tata sky india channel 536 cable cablecom channel 114 channel 309 digital ch d kdg channel 836 french channel 849 english mc cable channel 88 french channel 236 english channel 321 arabic naxoo channel 65 french channel 227 english upc romania channel 423 digital with dvr channel 143 digital zon tvcabo channel 208 english channel 209 french teled nya channel 74 english channel 75 french hot channel 70 english channel 143 french comcast philadelphia pennsylvania channel 127 6 english mind skycable philippines channel 219 english digital virgin media channel 624 english channel 832 french abnxcess malaysia channel 214 english comcast san francisco california channel 198 english buckeye cablesystem toledo ohio channel 265 english destiny cable philippines channel 219 english digital cablelink philippines channel 66 english dna oy channel 87 english first media indonesia channel 261 english macau cable tv macau channel 818 english channel 819 french iptv canalsat canal 54 french alice home tv channels 538 and 871 french channel 590 english tv di fastweb channel 89 french now tv hong kong channel 327 english channel 715 french hkbn bbtv hong kong channel 737 english channel 738 french mio tv singapore channel 686 french channel 159 english unifi malaysia channel 404 french only peo tv sri lanka channel 27 english bell fibe tv canada channel 113 french cht mod taiwan channel 157 english channel 229 french fetch tv australia channel 183 elife uae channel 545 french channel 531 english channel 514 arabic du uae channel 27 arabic mytv super hong kong channel 705 english streaming media tvplayer watch live uk only virgin tv anywhere watch live english uk only watch live french uk only sling tv internet protocol television france 24 pronounced france vingt quatre f s v t kat on french and arabic sometimes on english editions is a 24 hour non stop international news and current affairs television channel based in paris . its stated mission is to cover international current events from a french perspective and to convey french values throughout the world . 1 it started broadcasting on 6 december 2006 . the service is aimed at the overseas market and is broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world . in 2010 the france 24 started broadcasting through its own iphone and android apps . based in issy les moulineaux 2 in the suburbs of paris the channel broadcasts world news . currently it offers variants in english and arabic in addition to french . the channel has since 2008 been wholly owned by the french government via its holding company france m dias monde having acquired the remaining shares held by its former partners groupe tf1 and france t l visions . its budget is approximately 100 million per year . 3 france 24 is expected to broadcast spanish edition in 2017 . 4 contents 1 programming 2 history 2.1 channel inception 2.2 first project 1987 1997 2.3 relaunched project 2002 2003 2.4 preparing for launch 2004 2006 2.4.1 defying parliament 2.4.2 public private angst 2.5 birth 2006 2008 2.5.1 state takes over 2.6 under one maison 2008 present 2.7 long term goals 3 availability 4 see also 5 references 6 external links programming edit the news title as of 9 january 2011 france 24 is broadcast on three channels in french in english and in arabic . 5 france 24 s programming is divided more or less equally between news coverage and news magazines or special reports . along with 260 journalists of its own france 24 can call on the resources of the two main french broadcasters groupe tf1 and france t l visions as well as partners such as afp and rfi . the ceo of france 24 is alain de pouzilhac . from 19 may 2010 france 24 unveiled a new schedule that prioritizes the morning and evening slots anchored live by the network s editorial staff . more programming space than ever before goes to business sport culture and studio discussion . as from 2016 france 24 shares its night programming with the france based france info . according to marie christine saragosse president and ceo of france m dias monde one of the plus value of this public channel would be the fact that france 24 journalists will be wide awake while others would be sleeping . 6 history edit channel inception edit the media s perception was that the channel was a brainchild of former president jacques chirac famous for defending the position of the french language in the world specifically versus the english domination in this media category . 7 first project 1987 1997 edit in 1987 then french prime minister jacques chirac expressed his desire for an international television news channel in french and had requested a report into the activities of current international broadcasts from france radio france internationale tv5 and to a certain extent r seau france outre mer and noted the collective offering was fragmented disorganised and ineffective . with the arrival of fran ois mitterrand as president in 1981 and the naming of michel rocard as prime minister in 1988 the government launched a new project canal france international cfi a package of programmes aimed at making programmes in french for foreign audiences particularly in africa to be developed in parallel as a television channel . the first gulf war of 1990 relayed across the world by cnn international in particular revealed the power of international news channels and their role in the formation of opinion . a parliamentary minister philippe s guin wished to create a french language equivalent . in 1996 after nineteen governmental reports in ten years prime minister alain jupp asked radio france internationale president jean paul cluzel who was also general inspector of finances to create a french international news channel . cluzel proposed in 1997 to group tv5 rfi and cfi within a corporation entitled t l fi . the ump led government decided to follow that recommendation but with the return of the socialist party to government and the nomination of hubert v drine the new minister of foreign affairs favoured the augmentation of existing outlets such as tv5 which started to produce its own programming notably its news bulletins which in turn created its own news team . additionally with the creation of euronews in 1993 with french language commentary the media presence of france overseas became more complex more fragmented and costlier without being able to rely on a true round the clock international news channel . relaunched project 2002 2003 edit in 2002 president jacques chirac relaunched the project to create a french international news channel ; after a speech given at a reception in honour of the high council of the francophonie at the lys e on 12 february 2002 he stated is it understandable that year after year we are still lamenting our persistent failure with news and the french language media on the international scene admittedly we have with agence france presse a remarkable information tool that we must continue to reinforce notably in its international mission . indeed everyone here recognises the recent progress made by rfi by tv5 by cfi thanks to the efforts of their teams and to the determination of the public bodies . but everybody notices that we are still far from having a large international news channel in french capable of competing with the bbc or cnn . 8 the recent crises have shown the handicap that a country suffers a cultural area which doesn t possess a sufficient weight in the battle of the images and the airwaves . let us question in the time of terrestrial television networks of satellite of the internet on our organisation in this domain and notably in the dissipation of public funds which are reserved to them . on 7 march speaking in the french senate in front of foreign delegates to france and as part of his presidential campaign chirac said we must have the ambition of a big round the clock news channel in french equal to the bbc or cnn for the english speaking world . it is essential for the influence of our country . for our expatriates it would be a live and an immediate link to the mainland 9 after his reelection the first reflections were engaged at the ministry of foreign affairs headed by dominique de villepin . various technical options were examined at the time in an unreleased report purchase of euronews by the french state creation of an external channel proposed by then france t l visions president marc tessier approved by the previous government . an international version of lci proposed by groupe tf1 which asked for a state subvention for the service . strengthening of tv5 s news service as suggested by the ministry of foreign affairs . the subsequent wars in afghanistan and iraq reassured the authorities about the project especially in february 2003 when the american broadcasters cnn fox news and msnbc opted not to broadcast the long applause given by the members of the united nations security council after dominique de villepin gave his address on the iraq conflict . 10 on 19 march 2003 matignon opened offers to elicit the development of an international news channel . broadcasting primarily in the french language this service will assure a more important and more visible presence of france in the worldwide battle of images and to contribute to the pluralism of international information by offering to our viewers the choice of a different viewpoint on the news marked by a singular point of view of our country on world affairs by its culture and by its own ideas and to value its historical links and its privileged geography . the international news channel must contribute to a long lasting strategy of influence of france in the world . 11 by the application deadline on 22 april 2003 three candidates replied france t l visions & rfi to operate a channel entirely run by the public service sector ; groupe tf1 proposed an international version of its lci channel ; groupe canal proposed a news factory to reinforce its i t l channel already seen in 47 countries but running at a financial loss . one month later a parliamentary commission gave its conclusion voted with a unanimous decision by its members in the national assembly to form a public owned corporation groupement