Patrice Courtaban is the U.S. director of TV5 Monde, the international French-language television network. It has become the third-largest TV network available around the world. In the United States, the network launched as a cable channel in 2001, and now has more than 50,000 subscribers. A native of France, Courtaban lived in Stockholm, London, Paris and Russia before moving to the United States four years ago. Just 32 years old, he rose to his post after serving as the TV5 Monde business agent in Sweden. He was named head of the network’s distribution and marketing for Eastern and Northern Europe, where he benefited from a boom in the demand for Western content. He was chosen to head up the firm’s U.S. efforts when TV5 decided to enter America. Since then, he’s been driving the network’s efforts to establish a wider reach in the United States.
Question: What is your audience like?
Answer:
Typically, our subscribers are Francophiles. They tend to be people who learn a second language, those with a higher level of education, and higher income. They’re great customers for the cable companies. Our subscribers are about a 50-50 split percentage between Americans with English as a first language and the other 50 percent are French people who live in the U.S. New York and Los Angeles are the biggest markets here in the U.S.
Q: What sorts of things does this kind of audience look for?
A:
We faced some challenges in putting together the programming schedule because the expectations from both groups are very different. The French are looking for a very strong connection with their native country and the most famous shows from home, while our American subscribers want more about the French culture, fashion, trends and travel on the air. There’s more variety in traditional French programming, whereas Americans like to know that there will be a certain type of programming on during certain times of the day.
Q: So how do you please them both?
A:
We just launched our new schedule in January after we did a lot of research and focus group studies to find what would be most appealing for viewers. The old schedule was more into TV5 being a cultural station we would present a lot of programs centered on France, not as much worldwide things. Now we have a live one-hour segment every day from Paris, and it involves correspondents from all over the world. It’s really a cultural news show. We introduced a weekly newscast for people around the world who want to learn more French, so it has slow-pace speaking and subtitles so learners can keep up.
Q: Is programming the toughest part of the U.S. operation?
A:
We’re sold as a premium subscription channel here, which is a new model for us, because we are a public station elsewhere. Adjusting to the subscription model here has been a big challenge on many sides. To convince the cable operators to carry us can be a challenge because bandwidth is always limited. You have to have strong business model and marketing plan to show them you will make the numbers they want for subscribers. It’s also been an internal challenge for us because we have never had the culture of pay channel with a business model and big marketing efforts.
Q: You seem to be a unique channel. Do you have any rivals?
A:
We have no direct competition in the U.S. in terms of channels and content, but we do have competition getting on the distribution platforms. We go and talk to cable operators then they have to decide, ‘Do I launch TV 5 Monde or do I save that bandwidth for a new high-definition channel?’ High definition needs six to nine times the capacity of a regular channel, so right now it squeezes channels like us and makes it a bit more difficult to market ourselves to the operators. But I think today the distributors have recognized the value of the customers we bring to them.
Q: You’re unwilling to discuss revenues, but can you give us an idea of how you’re doing in the United States?
A:
Our overall average retail price to subscribe to TV5 here is $10, which is low for foreign channels, which normally are sold for $10 to $25.
Our cost for each subscription acquisition is between $80 and $100 in marketing for us, so it’s not cheap. We’re still thinking about the model we want to use to reach out to more viewers. We have increased our marketing budget each year and are looking for more ways to reach people, like video-on-demand and our cell platform service, which is available on Verizon.
Q: How are you reaching out to potential customers?
A:
We’ve really tried to come up with interesting marketing. Recently we offered French lessons and dinner at French restaurants to new subscribers. We offered eight-week classes at the Alliance Fran & #231;aise and people could choose between classes on French wine and food, French films and the like. We were amazed at the results. It’s been very popular and hundreds of people have signed up for the classes. Of course, you’re never sure if people are going to keep the station.
Q: Are the other ways you tried to raise you profile here?
A:
Our sponsorship of the City of Lights, City of Angels Film Festival would be one example. We got started five years ago with the festival, and it’s a natural place for us to be a partner and do some marketing. We are the largest broadcaster of French film in the U.S. The number of French films acquired by the U.S. studios is actually very small. Probably less than 1 percent of the theatrical films released films here are French so, in many cases, we are the only opportunity for people to see all these films.
Q: There was a period a few years ago when there seemed to be a lot of anti-France sentiment here remember “Freedom Fries?” because of the disagreement over Iraq. Did you notice any sort of a backlash, on either a business or personal level?
A:
None. On the contrary, we saw a significant increase in subscriptions during that time. TV5 is not the voice of France only. It represents all the French-speaking countries, which are France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and the province of Quebec. We think the demand for other news sources is very high among Americans.
Q: Was it a challenge to adjust to doing business in the U.S.?
A:
There are a lot of preconceived ideas in both the U.S. and Europe about the way things work in the other place. There are also a lot of similarities, but not enough to say there is really a good understanding of each other. There are deep cultural differences, and language is just the beginning. In Europe, there are more politics to business and things don’t happen that fast.
Q: Personally, has it been difficult to be so far from home? Your parents and relatives are in Lyons, France. Do you feel any disconnect with your homeland?
A:
It’s always an interesting experience, to be far away from your family. With the nine-hour time difference, you feel like you are living another life completely. It’s a great, fun cultural experience. You always know where you are born; it will always be your home and part of your identity. Even if you are not physically there, it’s still your home.
Q: As a native of France, what’s your personal take on culture in Los Angeles?
A:
I have been here for just a few years, and I just moved to Beachwood Canyon. It’s very different here. In France, your neighborhood has more of a feeling of a village, what we in France call “vie de quartier” your neighborhood life. You know everybody, and there are lots of the small shops; the bakery, a butcher shop, a small grocer and that kind of thing. I have noticed here that people don’t know their neighbors as much.
Also, people like to go to just one place for everything, the huge supermarket or Target, and maybe it’s because of the traffic. But I think L.A. is trying to get more of that neighborhood feel with mixed-use projects that you see coming around.
Q: What do you think of the traffic?
A:
You really have to plan your travel around it. In Europe you don’t spend any time planning to commute, you just get on the Metro and you go. Here it is a big factor in your day.
Q: What are some of your observations on the culture in Los Angeles?
A:
Los Angeles is very young. I’ve only lived in places that have long histories, like most of Europe and France, Russia and Sweden. The cities there influence people with their history. This is such a young city and the people here have the chance to influence its history and be a part of it. The city is still in the making in terms of architecture, character and population, still shaping itself. People here live in the now, not in the past. There are a lot of cultural events here, so it’s very fun. I like the youthful feel of Los Angeles.
Patrice Courtaban
Title:
U.S. Director, Chief Operating Officer
Company:
TV5 Monde
Born:
1974, France
Education:
M.B.A., Business School of Nice; Master’s in International Finance, University of Westminster, London
Career Turning Point:
Being hired at TV5 Monde to work as an agent in Sweden and Norway
Personal:
Single
Hobbies:
Mountain biking, hiking
