France 24

France 24 is France's international news channel, delivering 24/7 global news coverage in multiple languages to audiences around the world. Available across broadcast and digital platforms, France 24 provides live news, breaking events, analysis, and in-depth reporting, ensuring viewers can access trusted international journalism anytime, anywhere.

Description

The France 24 HbbTV application, developed by DOTSCREEN, extends the broadcaster's international news offering to connected TV audiences by combining the reliability of traditional broadcast television with the flexibility of broadband-delivered content. Available on HbbTV-compatible devices, the application provides viewers with immediate access to France 24's live news channels, on-demand video content, and the latest editorial coverage through a simple and intuitive television interface. The application gives viewers access to France 24's live streams in multiple languages, allowing audiences to switch between editions without leaving the television experience. In addition to live viewing, users can browse a curated selection of the latest news reports, feature stories, interviews, and magazine programmes, ensuring they can catch up on important events at their own pace. The application has been designed specifically for television viewing, with a remote-control-friendly interface that enables quick navigation between live content, news categories, and featured videos. Fast loading times, responsive navigation, and optimized playback ensure a smooth viewing experience across a wide range of HbbTV-enabled devices.

Impact

The France 24 HbbTV application demonstrated how hybrid broadcast and broadband technology could extend the value of a traditional linear news channel through an interactive television experience. During its live field trial, France 24 recorded 78,600 application connections over a five-month period, validating both the technical reliability of the HbbTV platform and viewer interest in accessing interactive news services directly from connected televisions. The project enabled France 24 to move beyond continuous linear broadcasting by giving viewers immediate access to live multilingual news channels, on-demand programmes, and curated editorial content within a television-optimized interface. It also demonstrated that HbbTV could provide broadcasters with a direct relationship with viewers without requiring dedicated hardware or proprietary Smart TV applications. The success of the deployment established France 24 as an early adopter of HbbTV for international news distribution and demonstrated the potential of hybrid television to increase content accessibility, strengthen audience engagement, and deliver a richer viewing experience.