Television in France
Encyclopedia
Television
in France
was introduced in 1931, making the country one of the first countries
in the world to broadcast television programmes.
service for France
. It formally arrived on 31 March 2005 after a short testing period. Like Freeview in the United Kingdom it will support many new channels as well as the current terrestrial television stations. Pay TV channels were launched in September 2004 using the MPEG4 format, unlike most of Europe which currently uses MPEG2. Pay per view terrestrial channels use H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC. Analogue switch off
is expected to be finished by 30 November 2011. TNT is the first service to implement Dolby Digital Plus
as one possible audio codec. France is also the first European country and the third in the world to propose the HDTV on its DTT after USA and Japan.
boxes. However, some subscribers have too much attenuation distortion
on their lines to benefit from the service, and France does not yet have 100% DSL coverage.
French cable providers Noos SA and UPC France SA and Numericable
merged to become the largest cable operator in France. They provide digital television (using multiple brands) through their set top boxes.
Digital satellite television has existed in France
since 1997. HDTV transmissions began in April 2006, when CanalSat
launched its first HD channel (Canal+ HD
). TPS
and CanalSat
have merged in 2007, leaving Nouveau Canalsat and Bis Télévisions as the two main competitors for the satellite television market in the country.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was introduced in 1931, making the country one of the first countries
Timeline of the introduction of television in countries
This is a list of when the first publicly announced television broadcasts occurred in the mentioned countries. Non-public field tests and closed circuit demonstrations are not included....
in the world to broadcast television programmes.
Terrestrial
Télévision Numérique Terrestre is the national digital terrestrialDigital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
service for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It formally arrived on 31 March 2005 after a short testing period. Like Freeview in the United Kingdom it will support many new channels as well as the current terrestrial television stations. Pay TV channels were launched in September 2004 using the MPEG4 format, unlike most of Europe which currently uses MPEG2. Pay per view terrestrial channels use H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC. Analogue switch off
Digital television transition
The digital television transition is the process in which analog television broadcasting is converted to and replaced by digital television. This primarily involves both TV stations and over-the-air viewers; however it also involves content providers like TV networks, and cable television...
is expected to be finished by 30 November 2011. TNT is the first service to implement Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Digital Plus is a digital audio compression scheme. It is an incompatible development of the technologies used in the earlier Dolby Digital system. E-AC-3 has a number of improvements aimed at increasing quality at a given bitrate compared with legacy Dolby Digital...
as one possible audio codec. France is also the first European country and the third in the world to propose the HDTV on its DTT after USA and Japan.
Other technologies
Most ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) providers in France now offer digital television packages through triple playTriple play (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, triple play service is a marketing term for the provisioning of two bandwidth-intensive services, high-speed Internet access and television, and a less bandwidth-demanding service, telephone, over a single broadband connection. Triple play focuses on a combined business...
boxes. However, some subscribers have too much attenuation distortion
Attenuation Distortion
Attenuation distortion is the distortion of an analog signal that occurs during transmission when the transmission medium does not have a flat frequency response across the bandwidth of the medium or the frequency spectrum of the signal....
on their lines to benefit from the service, and France does not yet have 100% DSL coverage.
French cable providers Noos SA and UPC France SA and Numericable
Numericable
Numericable is a British-American-Luxembourgian owned cable television operator operating in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, currently proposing standard quadruple-play services .- History :...
merged to become the largest cable operator in France. They provide digital television (using multiple brands) through their set top boxes.
Digital satellite television has existed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
since 1997. HDTV transmissions began in April 2006, when CanalSat
CanalSat
CanalSat is a French digital satellite and DSL pay television service. It is owned by Vivendi with a 65% share, minority shareholders are Lagardère , TF1 and M6...
launched its first HD channel (Canal+ HD
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
). TPS
Télévision Par Satellite
Télévision Par Satellite was a French company that offered subscription television packages via satellite.It was created in 1996 by France Télévisions, the TF1 Group and the M6 Group...
and CanalSat
CanalSat
CanalSat is a French digital satellite and DSL pay television service. It is owned by Vivendi with a 65% share, minority shareholders are Lagardère , TF1 and M6...
have merged in 2007, leaving Nouveau Canalsat and Bis Télévisions as the two main competitors for the satellite television market in the country.
Major French TV channels
French main TV channels are:- TF1TF1TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
which average market share of 24% makes the most-watched French TV network; - M6, the most profitable national French TV channeland the second or third most-watched television network in France featuring flagship shows such as Zone Interdite and Capital;
- France 2France 2France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, the second or third most-watched French TV channel and France 3France 3France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
, the two main channels of France's public network France Television; - Canal +, a very popular French premium pay television channel featuring some of the most popular French TV programs such as Le Grand JournalLe Grand Journal (Canal+)Le Grand Journal is a French nightly news and talk show airing every weekday evening on Canal+. Debuting on August 30, 2004, it was created and hosted by Michel Denisot. Originally a one-hour program, it expanded to two hours in 2005. Even though the show is broadcast on the premium channel Canal+,...
or Les Guignols de l'infoLes Guignols de l'infoLes Guignols de l'info is a satirical latex puppet show broadcast on Canal+, a French subscription-based television channel. Hosted by a puppet facsimile of TF1 news anchor Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, Les Guignols is similar to the 1984–1996 British show Spitting Image...
.
See also
- List of television stations in France
- List of French language television channels
- List of French television series