Photo agencies seeing red over Cannes film festival deal

Photo agencies are crying foul over the Cannes film festival's exclusive deal with French broadcasters that may cause restrictions on some video coverage of the 63rd annual Riviera rendezvous.

Festival organisers have verbally informed several of the international news agencies that regularly cover the fest that severe restrictions on access to red carpets and news conferences might prevent them from providing their usual coverage.

Reuters, AFP, Getty TV and the Associated Press Television News are in negotiations with festival authorities to ensure comprehensive coverage for their news wires and clients across the globe. These restrictions stem from deals the festival has signed with French broadcaster Canal Plus and pay TV service Orange for exclusive video coverage of the red carpets and other official events.

Typically competitive news organisations Reuters, Getty, AP and AFP have banded together to put an advisory on their public websites saying that they might have to suspend coverage of the festival if they can't secure a deal with festival authorities soon.

"We're not sure what our next steps will be if we can't come to an agreement, but our intention now is to find a solution," said Alison Crombie, senior director of global public relations for Getty Images. "We, with the other agencies, consider this to be very unfair."

While the festival's restrictions have so far been only verbal warnings that started at the end of last year's festival, the media groups have been pressing the festival for several weeks for some kind of written deal detailing the restrictions.

The news agencies distribute their edited content to several thousand TV stations and internet portals around the world, and the Festival de Cannes is always one of the biggest news events of the year for the global media business. "We believe in news organisations having adequate access to news events," a spokesperson for Reuters said.

Festival de Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux is negotiating the media presence at the fest, and doesn't see the new restrictions as cause for alarm.

"We're trying to help the news agencies as best we can," said Fremaux. "I'm in the process of negotiating so that everyone is happy. The news agencies involved have yet to receive a written proposal for a more restricted festival coverage.

"The restrictions concern only the resale of images of the red carpet steps and the press conferences," said Fremaux. "The agencies will make the images available free for their subscribers and for the rest, the Festival de Cannes will continue to accredit members of the press so that they can do their jobs and shoot footage – on the red carpet steps, at the press conferences, in the Palais, everywhere – for which they have freedom of broadcast on their own media platforms. More than 4,000 journalists from all over the world will be accredited for the festival, like every year."

But as far as video coverage of festival-related events goes, Canal Plus and Orange have put up money and signed exclusivity contracts making them official sponsors and giving them greater access than other media outlets. Canal Plus will continue its monopoly over the Gallic audiovisual market and set up shop on its massive stage across from the Hotel Martinez once again to air its daily variety programme Le Grand Journal. Canal Plus has been an official partner of the fest for the past 16 years.

"Canal Plus has been trying to protect their red carpet coverage of the Festival de Cannes for years, so it's not surprising that something like this would happen," said Gael Golhen, editor-in-chief of French entertainment site Premiere.fr.

Orange, a subsidiary of rival pay TV group France Telecom, has been upping its presence at the fest to compete with Canal Plus. The Orange Beach boasts a restaurant which has become the unofficial hub for the French film industry during the festival, and Orange confirmed that it has renewed its contract to invest in and produce the fest's own TV network, TV Festival, this year alongside Canal Plus and the festival itself.

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