Paris (AFP)
Humor, theater, concerts ...: Canal + group this year on the live shows, with the launch in January of a new dedicated channel, Olympia TV, and the broadcast in December on C8 of a new ceremony, the " Olympia Awards ".
After Polar + and Grammophon +, Canal + continues to expand the range of thematic channels reserved for its subscribers. Olympia TV, which will begin broadcasting on January 21, 2020, and will be sponsored by Francis Huster, will be dedicated to live shows of all genres: theater, concert, opera, ballet, modern circus and magic.
The future channel, which will broadcast only in the evening, between 20:00 and one o'clock in the morning, will offer a different show every day, as well as a daily magazine that will present the news of the shows and their backstage.
"It will be a chain show", which will have the ambition to show "the best of the culture in the image of L'Olympia", summarized Delphine Dewost, the director of the new chain, at a conference of press Monday.
According to her, this launch responds to a triple observation: few shows are offered globally on television, the public sometimes finds it difficult to navigate the profusion of concerts and plays, and viewers living outside major cities have difficult access to large rooms.
Olympia TV's programs will also be broadcast on MyCanal, the group's online platform.
In addition, C8 (free channel Canal +) will broadcast mid-December a new ceremony, the "Olympia Awards". Presented by Antoine de Caunes, this evening broadcast live from L'Olympia will reward comedians and musicians elected by the public, with a tightened program (6 prizes will be awarded, including a concert award of the year for which the public will be able to vote live).
These projects will enable Canal + to capitalize on the Olympia brand, a legendary Parisian venue that is part of the Vivendi group. This is a logical step for Vincent Bolloré's group, which has been seeking for several years to develop synergies between its various branches of activity.
In addition, the encrypted channel, which is celebrating its 35th birthday this Monday, and its thematic subsidiary Comédie +, already rely heavily on the shows, with notable success among subscribers; 1.3 million watched the comedy show Blanche Gardin in October.
In addition to Manu Payet's upcoming shows on television, Florence Foresti and Ahmed Sylla, which will soon be broadcast on Canal +, Comédie + is about to launch a new "open stage" to spot the next stand-up stars.
© 2019 AFP