France Télévisions Taps YouTube for News Distribution, Keeps Ad Sales In-House
France Télévisions has formed a strategic partnership with YouTube to expand the digital distribution of its news content as part of a streaming-first strategy. The French public broadcaster will make thousands of hours of news and current affairs programming available on the platform, with its ad division, France TV Publicité, directly selling the advertising inventory. The two companies will also collaborate on tools to counter misinformation, including support for YouTube's Likeness ID system for detecting AI-generated content.
Key Takeaways
- The deal covers national and regional news bulletins, plus current affairs and investigative programs, made available on YouTube shortly after broadcast.
- In a key structural detail, France TV Publicité will directly sell the broadcaster's advertising inventory on YouTube, retaining monetization control.
- Both companies will collaborate on anti-misinformation efforts, including support for YouTube’s Likeness ID system to detect AI-generated content.
- The move follows a trend of growing news consumption on YouTube, where over half of users now access news content, according to the announcement.
Why It Matters
The partnership moves a major European public broadcaster beyond using YouTube for promotion to making it a core distribution channel for timely news content. Unlike typical content licensing deals, France Télévisions retains direct control over ad sales via France TV Publicité. This hybrid model lets the broadcaster use YouTube's scale without ceding monetization control, a persistent point of friction for media companies. Watch whether other public broadcasters pursue similar direct-sales models on third-party platforms and how it impacts revenue-sharing negotiations.
Read full article at broadbandtvnews.com
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