Walt Disney strikes download deals for France

The Walt Disney Company is to make a raft of its hit US series available for download in France one day after their US premiere.

This comes as the international distribution arm of the Hollywood studio has struck a deal with a raft of platforms to make shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Castle, Body of Proof, Criminal Minds and Desperate Housewives available 24 hours after their initial broadcast.

Season eight of hospital drama Grey’s Anatomy and season seven of cop drama Criminal Minds will be available via TF1vision, the video-on-demand portal operated by the French commercial broadcaster, as well as via iTunes. Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds and cop drama Castle will also be made available via ABCtek, the Disney-branded portal operated by French IPTV platform Freebox.

Separately, The eighth and final season of Marc Cherry-created soap Desperate Housewives and season two of legal drama Body of Proof will also be available via the streaming service operated by French pay broadcaster Canal Plus.