Two new TV and film streaming platforms to launch in France
Universal+ and Paramount+ will compete with services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+
Universal+ is coming to France, and will compete against Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+
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The American streaming platform Universal+ is set to arrive in France before the end of 2022.
Universal+ have not revealed their full precise catalogue but it is expected to have a lot of well known science fiction, police documentaries and children’s films and series.
It is known for content as the Shrek films, Kung-Fu Panda, Madagascar, and How to Train Your Dragon.
The platform will bring together content from channels including Syfy, 13ème RUE, E!, and DreamWorks, said NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-To-Consume (part of US network NBCUniversal) in a statement.
It will be a competitor to other SVODs (Subscription Video On Demand) services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Salto, which are already available in France.
In a statement, the company said: “[This] will also be available for the first time in France in linear (traditional real-time broadcasting) and non-linear (on demand) via Universal+.”
Universal+ is already available in Spain, South America (especially Brazil), India, and Africa.
According to the group's data, "this launch extends DreamWorks' presence to 43 territories…and it is currently already accessible to 35 million households in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico”.
Another screening platform, Paramount+, is set to be distributed in France by the French group Canal+ by the end of the year.
The news comes three months after Amazon Prime confirmed that fees for its platform would rise by €20 a year in France from September.
Read more: Amazon Prime fees to rise by €20 a year in France from September
The company said that this change is “linked to the increase of working costs of Prime in France”. These include rising costs of fuel, energy, and packaging costs, a spokesperson for Amazon France told AFP.
It also comes after a poll last year found that almost three-quarters of French people say they speak better English as a result of watching TV shows and videos on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or YouTube.
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