Orange unveils Orange Content and affirms its new ambitions in content

A major and longstanding player in the field of content, Orange is confirming and strengthening its strategy with the creation of Orange Content, a new entity reporting directly to Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Announced by Stéphane Richard on 21st March this year, the purpose of the new entity, Orange Content, is to confirm and strengthen the presence and investment of Orange in the field of content. Its mission is to drive the Group’s strategy in content and to act as a support for all the countries where the Group is present. This new division will bring together a large part of the current Content Division; the subsidiaries comprising Orange Studio, OCS and OPTV (Orange Prestations TV). It will provide assistance and support to the countries in which Orange is present and will continue the strategic intelligence work which is already in place. It will be responsible for delivering international guidelines relating to content policy and will support the countries, including Orange France, in negotiations that are being conducted.

This new entity will report directly to Stéphane Richard with a two-person senior management team: David Kessler, Director, and Serge Laroye, Deputy Director. As of 1st September, Orange Content will have five key functions:

1. Strategic intelligence, interpreting of trends and the movements of industry players in order to identify opportunities for the Group and its countries

2. Acquisition of rights both through the negotiation of distribution agreements and agreements on premium rights or with Studios. Orange Content will also provide support to the countries in these areas

3. The management and development of a production/publishing unit bringing together Orange Studio and OCS or any other upcoming entity responsible for editing and production

4. Creation, evaluation and implementation of proposals on new formats, new usages and innovative solutions in the field of content, with the Group’s various internal stakeholders and external partners

5. Monitoring the development of the countries’ content turnover through strategic planning, collaboration with the countries and the implementation of joint action plans, as well as the development of their profitability. The commercial and operational activities of distribution and content aggregation are located within each national entity, including for Orange France.

The strategy that will be implemented, particularly in the Europe region, will build on what has been developed in recent years: giving priority to the widest possible distribution of the best content offers on the market, and investing in cinema and series via OCS and Orange Studio.

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orange, explains, “Orange Content aims to guarantee the richness of our offer in France and abroad and to give more visibility and consistency to our offers in the field of content.”

Orange and CANAL+ reinforce the distribution of CANAL offers for Orange TV customers and will propose a new offer of CANAL+ ESSENTIEL for Orange’s fibre customers.

In the coming months Orange will distribute a new CANAL+ ESSENTIEL offer to its fibre customers, without commitment and at a competitive price. This new marketing model, specific to CANAL+ESSENTIEL on Orange Fibre, will allow Orange to enrich its promise of Orange Fibre and attract new customer targets for CANAL+ESSENTIEL.

Following on from the ‘Famille by CANAL’ offer launched in 2016, Orange is strengthening its partnership with CANAL+ by combining the power of Orange’s 100% fibre offer with the very best in entertainment. 

Since its launch in 2008, OCS has pursued an intensive partnership policy and it supports the entire film industry, from production to distribution. At the end of 2013, OCS had committed to investing €179 million over five years to the benefit of French and European cinema. The 100% cinema series package is therefore contributing to the financing of French filmmaking of all genres. 

In line with this commitment, and following the agreement signed at the end of December 2016 between UGC Images and Orange Studio on the distribution of films through cinemas, Orange and UGC are extending their partnership with a new agreement with OCS, concerning the forthcoming films produced by UGC Images. For OCS, the 100% cinema and series offer is therefore accelerating its expansion in terms of investment in French cinema and reinforces the power of its broadcasting with pre-purchased feature films for the whole family. 

Thanks to this new multi-year agreement, OCS subscribers will enjoy UGC Images’ mainstream films such as Gaston Lagaffe (released in cinemas on 04/04/18) which will be screened as a first-window on OCS, 10 months after its release in cinemas. Other films, such as the sequel to “What We did to God,” are also covered in this agreement. 

Moreover, Orange Studio will open a new international sales department in 2017 and UGC Images will entrust it with the international marketing of all its films next year. This new agreement strengthens the partnership between Orange and UGC and confirms Orange’s support for the entire film production industry. 

Orange is confirming its commitment to series by announcing a €100 million investment over five years. Orange intends to build on its two pillars: its production subsidiary, Orange Studio, and OCS, its 100% cinema and series offer. This investment underlines Orange’s desire to produce ambitious series, co-produced with renowned partners, whether French, European or international.

Orange’s commitment to cinema is also illustrated by its longstanding partnership in major film industry events. The Group has renewed its partnership with the Cannes Film Festival for a further three-years, and also with the Lumière Film Festival with which it has been a partner since 2009.

In addition, the Group has become a partner to the Institut Lumière to support its activities and development. Orange and OCS therefore become ‘Grand Partner(s)’ of the Institut Lumière for a three-year period.

A partner of the film in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Orange is also a co-investor with Orange Studio. In France, OCS has pre-purchased the exclusive distribution rights to broadcast the film for pay-TV, and Orange VOD and is the film’s exclusive VOD/EST partner of the film in France. The film will be available to purchase on VOD on Orange TV from 26th November 2017 and to rent from 4th December 2017. OCS has also pre-purchased the Pay TV rights and will be the first TV distributor of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets for two years starting at the end of May 2018.

Orange will be celebrating the cinema release of the film with numerous dedicated events and special promotions. As from today, Orange is offering an exclusive version of the trailer, accompanied by a number of special competitions to reward cinema fans for their passion.

Building on the strength of its ambitions in the sphere of TV, cinema and series, Orange also wishes to provide the best of other cultural offers. Orange and Fnac have therefore signed an exclusive agreement to offer the best of digital reading material to Orange customers.

An initial step was taken on 6th July this year with the launch of the Izneo’s comic strip offering, of which Fnac is the main shareholder, giving unlimited access to over 3,000 comic strip titles on smartphone, tablet and PC/Mac. In a few months’ time, it will be the turn of Fnac’s digital books offer to join the range of Orange products.

With this partnership, Orange completes its entertainment offering by joining itself with the leading player in this field and also enabling Fnac to accelerate the growth of its digital cultural offer.