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Canal Plus ramps up original programming
French pay-TV operator Canal Plus is planning to ramp up its investment in original fiction programming in a drive to attract new subscribers, with over 40m to be spent this year, according to local press reports.
Canal Plus is investing in new series including Maison Close, which recounts the life of three prostitutes in a brothel in 1870s Paris (the first major costume drama series produced by the pay-TV operator), XIII, an international co-production of 13 x 52-minute episodes costing Â25m, and Borgia, a 12-episode drama series costing Â30m.
The pay-TV operator, which is providing up to 30% of the finance for these shows, plans to make 50 hours of original shows available in primetime in 2010-11, 10 hours more than the previous year, according to the reports.