Warner Bros. Entertainment France has inked an exclusive pay TV deal with French pay TV giant Canal Plus for the studio's output from September 2013.
The deal will give Canal Plus subscribers access to Warner Bros. new releases and catalogue titles on IP TV, tablet computers, smart phones, game consoles.
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It covers all pay-for channels of the Canal Plus group - flag bearer CANAL+ but also CINE+, Comedie+ and Jimmy - and their respective catch-up TV services.
French legislation guarantees an exclusive windowof distribution for pay TV networks, 10 months after the theatrical release date for movies.
Canal Plus deputy general director Rodolphe Belmer said the deal will contribute to building the largest and "most attractive offer" on French TV.
"We are proud to give our subscribers access to the films of one of the most prestigious American studios," Belmer said.
Warner Bros. International Television President Jeffrey R. Schlesinger noted that "Canal Plus has always had a deep appreciation of Warner's productions and successful cinematographic legacy. We are delighted with our return to Canal Plus in 2013."
Warner Bros. will benefit from premium access to Canal Plus' customer base - close to 13 million subscribers - for upcoming releases such as Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, Ben Affleck's Argo, Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby and the third installment of The Hangover.
The deal marks a change for Warner Bros.' output carriage deal in France
In 2008, as France Telecom launched the pay TV channels Orange Cinema Series (OCS), the telecommunication giant corralled the exclusive contract with Warner Bros. from Canal Plus. Four years on and France Telecom has largely withdrawn from the pay TV market and Canal Plus has won the partnership back from Orange.
