28/08/2003

Gallic Sat-TV TPS announced it is increasing its service as of 1 September 2003. 3 new channels will be created in addition to the existing four – and all are dedicated exclusively to cinema. This is excellent news for the French film industry especially since TPS signed a contract in March of this year delineating the degree of its investment in the industry.

TPS is the result of a joint venture between TF1 and M6 and at present, has 1.192million subscribers compared to 2.1million for Canal Satellite. TPS hopes to increase its user pool by means of attractive commercial packages and a fully comprehensive programme offer. As well as TPS Star, the digital platform has a further six channels dedicated to cinema: TPS Home Cinema (major films plus makings of), TPS Cinéstar (TPS Star repeats), shorts (series), TPS Cinéxtrême (classics) and TPS Cinéculte (arthouse, cult and classic films).
TPS intends increasing the number of films it airs exclusively and this is certain to delight Gallic film fans. The network will also invest in French film production. To that end the sat-TV has deals with a number of Hollywood studios and it is also obliged to invest €2.01 per subscriber per month to purchase French films. There is also a diversity clause which obliges TPS to invest 15% of its revenue (increasing to 20% in 2004) in French films with budgets of up to €5.34m. In 2002 TPS invested €33m in cinema, €23.69m of which in French films.

(Translated from French)