FRANCE 24, ARABSAT, AND THE ASBU SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT OVER THE ARAB WORLD

Paris, November 13, 2006 - On the occasion of the visit to the FRANCE 24 premises, by Mr. Khalid Balkheyour, Chief Executive Officer and President of ARABSAT (Arab Satellite Communications Organization), and Mr. Abdelhafid Harguem, Chief Executive Officer of the ASBU (Arab States Broadcasting Union), the Management Board of FRANCE 24, chaired by Alain de Pouzilhac, reasserted its intention to actively collaborate with its partners in the Arab world, led by the satellite operator ARABSAT and the ASBU.

At the end of their meeting, FRANCE 24's Chairman of the Board, Alain de Pouzilhac, stated that he was "happy to count ARABSAT and the ASBU among FRANCE 24’s pro-active partners. Thanks to them, the channel will be well-established throughout the entire North Africa and Middle East region. With the Arabic version of our Internet website going live early December, and our Arabic programming scheduled to air on FRANCE 24 in the first half of 2007, this collaboration with ARABSAT and the ASBU is essential to our development.” 

Alain de POUZILHAC       Khalid BALKHEYOUR

Chairman of the Board,      President & CEO,

FRANCE 24                       ARABSAT

    "We are very impressed with the technical infrastructure of FRANCE 24, as well as its ambitious strategy for soon broadcasting in three different languages. We feel truly honored to have been selected for broadcasting FRANCE 24 over the whole Arab world via BADR-4, our brand new state-of-the-art satellite launched as recently as last Thursday at 26°East, the region's "Hot Spot" for Direct-to-Home broadcasting", declared Eng. Khalid Balkheyour, ARABSAT's CEO and President.

ASBU's CEO, Abdelhafid Harguem, concluded by specifying that “the ASBU is ready to consider prospective cooperation with FRANCE 24, in particular with respect to current events in the Arab world. It is expected that a collaboration agreement will be signed in the weeks ahead. In any event, we wish FRANCE 24 great success.”   

Agnès LEVALLOIS               Adelhafid HARGUEM   Abdel Rahim SULEIMAN

Deputy Editorial Director/        CEO,                  Technical Director,

Arabic Content,                     ASBU                    ASBU
FRANCE 24 

Starting December 8th, 2006, the English-language version of FRANCE 24 will be distributed and broadcast over the whole Arab world via ARABSAT's BADR-4 satellite where it will join its bouquet of 240+ TV channels and 90+ Radio stations already broadcasted by Arabsat's constellation of BADR satellites co-located at its 26°East video "Hot Spot".  With its unmatchable stretched coverage and high power over the MENA region, BADR-4 will allow the channel to immediately reach an audience of 130 million viewers, from Morocco to the Gulf, as well as to most of Europe.

The FRANCE 24 website (www.france24.com) will also be launched December 8^th, 2006 in three languages: French, English and Arabic.

About FRANCE 24:

France 24 is the first French international news channel that offers a French perspective and sensibility on world events. Starting on December 8^th 2006, France 24 will be broadcast on a 24/7 basis on two channels, in French and in English, in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and on the east coast of the US. An Arabic version is scheduled for the first half of 2007. The network is accessible to 80 million households via all media platforms: cable, satellite, DSL, Internet and mobile. France 24 website, www.france24.com, will be available in 3 languages (English, French, Arabic) upon launch.

Contacts  -  Nathalie LENFANT : +33 (0)1 73 01 24 11 / nlenfant@france24.com

                   Damien AMADOU  : +33 (0)1 73 01 24 31 / damadou@france24.com 

About ARABSAT:

Backed by the 21 member-countries of the Arab League, and with its 30-year heritage of continuous operations, Arabsat offers the Arab World an unrivalled range of satellite-based communications services such as Direct-to-Home Television and Radio, telephony, Internet and direct Broadband access, as well as the provision of VSATs and other interactive services that meet both current and emerging demands. Now ranked as the world's 9th largest Satellite Operator, Arabsat is committed to keep expanding its services in order to meet the evolving needs of its customers. Its vision is to consolidate its long-standing leading regional position as the pioneer of satellite communications in the Arab world by delivering an unparalleled level of service in the MENA region, providing quality products, employing the most skilled individuals, and remaining at the forefront of new technologies. Arabsat is the only qualified organization in the Middle East North Africa with a fully integrated fleet of satellites operating on most frequency bands and encompassing within a single beam the whole region from Morocco to the Gulf and a large part of sub-Saharan Africa.
  --  Contact - Saad AL-TEHAIF : +966/(0)1-482-0000, ext. 252  / saadt@arabsat.com

About ASBU:

The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) is a professional, non-profit organization and is one of the oldest Arab joint action institutions pertaining to the League of Arab States system founded in 1969 in Khartoum, with its overall objective of strengthening relations, fostering cooperation among Arab Radio & TV broadcasting institutions with a view to enhancing their performances in both form and content enabling thus the Union to fully play its role in bolstering Arab brotherhood and raising an Arab generation conscious and proud of its Arab national identity.  –  More @ www.asbu.net 

Contact -  Abdalla OSMAN :  +216/(0)7083-8855 / a.suleiman@asbu.intl.tn