French telecommunications company SFR has formed a new unit that will group together all of its media activities in the country, including the SFR Sport operation.
SFR Media will include SFR Presse, SFR RadioTV and SFR Sport, the suite of sports channels that have been created following the completion of SFR’s acquisition of Altice Media Group France in May.
Alain Weill has been appointed as chief executive of SFR Media, while François Pesenti will serve in the same role for SFR Sport.
SFR in May sealed the acquisition of Altice Media Group France, which operates a series of television channels and other media assets. It announced in April that it planned to launch media services, including SFR Sport, following the transfer of purchase.
Five channels have been launched under the SFR Sport banner. SFR Sport 2 carries the English Premiership rugby union competition, the French Pro A and Pro B basketball leagues, tennis and skiing; while SFR Sport 3 specialises in extreme sports such as surfing, wakeboarding, inline skating and BMX cycling.
SFR Sport 4K will provide ultra-high-definition television coverage of key sports events, while SFR Sport 5 will concentrate on combat sports and martial arts. SFR Sport 1 will launch in August for the new English Premier League football season. Altice in November secured rights in France to the Premier League covering three seasons, from 2016-17 to 2018-19.
BFM-TV Sport, a sports news channel, launched ahead of the start of the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament in France.
Weill, who also serves as chief executive of Altice Media, said: “With SFR Presse, SFR RadioTV and SFR Sport, we have all the cards to make SFR the most innovative media group in France – our ambition is large.”