Holzman says ‘French Netflix’ will launch as planned

Patrick Holzman, one of the founders of the Allociné website and jointly responsible for France’s planned Free Home Video (FHV) streaming video service, has reportedly denied rumours that the project is to be abandoned under pressure from Canal Plus.

Holzman, who is director of Free’s content arm Free Audiovisuel, said the service, which has been dubbed the ‘French Netflix’, would be renamed iCinéma. The plan is to make some 10,000 programmes available to connected TVs and via the internet. Holzman and Allociné co-founder Jean-David Blanc have struck deals with Pathé, Gaumont and Warner and are in negotiation with other content providers.

Reports that the project was to be abandoned as a result of pressure put on FHV owner Free by Canal Plus, were attributed to Pascal Lechevallier, creator of TF1 Vision.

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