Gedeon behind Francophone doc channel

MIPTV: Free streaming outfit FAST Media has teamed up with French documentary powerhouse Gedeon Media Group to launch Docstory, a channel aimed at French-speaking countries including those in Africa.

Docstory’s content strategy will focus on five themes: discovery, heritage, history, travel/adventure and civilisations. The channel will be available in France, Belgium, Switzerland and French-speaking Africa, and will launch on Samsung TV Plus on May 7. News about other platforms will be announced soon.

The channel will draw on Gedeon Media Group’s library of docs produced in-house by subsidiaries Gedeon Programmes, Docland Yard and MC4.

Terranoa, Gedeon’s distribution subsidiary, will also contribute to the channel’s programming with its catalogue comprising 2,000 hours and representing more than 100 external producers.

As well as Docstory, FAST Media operates 11 other free streaming channels: Wasabi (focusing on anime), Enquêtes de Choc (investigations), Homicide (true crime), Y a Que la Vérité qui Compte (based on the TF1 talkshow of the same name), Motus (movement), Drive TV (motors) as well as the five European feeds of the Yu Gi Oh! channels.

Munich-based FAST Media is a joint venture between Backbone Media, founded by CEO and former Mediawan exec Richard Maroko, and Palatin Media, founded by former TeleMünchen Group MD Bernd Schloetterer, and launched in 2022.