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Hollande grants exclusive D-Day ceremony live broadcast rights to French TV

News agencies and private broadcasters claim that millions of TV viewers may not be able to watch live coverage of the D-Day 70th anniversary commemorations because President François Hollande has granted exclusive live broadcasting rights to French TV stations.

The American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
The American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer AFP
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Hollande has granted exclusive rights to public broadcaster France Télévisions and private station TF1, who are asking for nearly 200,000 euros to retransmit their footage.

With 19 heads of state, including the US’s Barack Obama, the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, in attendance at the historic event viewing figures are expected to be massive.

So Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Reuters and Enex, a global network of private tv stations, have challenged the fee, arguing that access should be free.

They have lodged a formal protest with the French presidency and are lobbying for a last-minute change of policy.

"By granting access to only a few select channels and charging prohibitive sums, millions of viewers around the world will be unable to witness this historic, global event, the solemnity of which will reflect the commitment of an international array of forces 70 years ago," Associated Press executive editor Kathleen Carroll said on Friday.
 

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