Streaming specialist 24i powers the launch of Cinessance, the “Netflix of French film” in North America

The French-film streaming platform offers consumers a curated catalogue of classic and modern movies with subtitles in French and English for $6.99/month as well as pay-per-view options. 

Cinessance is available on the web and apps for both iOS, and Android with support for casting via Chromecast and AirPlay and plans to expand to Smart TVs. The service is built on a fully cloud-based infrastructure from 24i, making use of the video backend, white label front-end applications and Backstage content and application management interface that make up 24i’s modular streaming platform, together with CDN services and an off-the-shelf integration with subscriber management capabilities from 24i partner company Cleeng. 

Using 24i’s end-to-end productized solution has enabled Cinessance to launch its service in just twelve weeks from contract signature. 

US business magazine Forbes.com has profiled the Cinessance launch here.

France is the second largest exporter of movies in the world, and one of the world’s great cultures of cinematic art, but only 3% of Netflix’s catalogue features French films, according to What’s on Netflix and a recent study from Unifrance. French expats, Francophiles and cinema-lovers have had no option to access the award-winning and globally-recognized catalogue of French cinema. 

Cinessance is launching with a wide array of movies, acquired from many of the most established French studios, such as TF1 Studio, StudioCanal and EuropaCorp, with plans to expand the catalogue to 500 movies as early as mid-2022.

Clément Monnet, Cinessance Founder & CEO, is a French expat who’s lived across four continents - Europe, Asia, South America and North America. “I've lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to watch a French movie and couldn't find it online. Like many French expats, I try to stay connected with my roots and to share my culture with others, so I couldn't be more excited to share the gift of French film via Cinessance.” Monnet is a serial entrepreneur, having previously co-founded Voom, the “Uber for Helicopters”, incubated by Airbus. 

Cinessance is a perfect example of the end-to-end capabilities of the 24i streaming platform."

24i’s CEO, Joachim Bergman said: “Cinessance is a perfect example of the end-to-end capabilities of the 24i streaming platform and getting it live and working so well within twelve weeks shows the wisdom of choosing a productized solution to side-step all the pitfalls that can slow down new OTT services in their race to the market. We are thrilled to be part of today’s launch and are looking forward to playing a key role in the future global growth and success of Cinessance.”

Cinessance’s catalogue offers movies starring classing actors such as Gérard Depardieu, Catherine Deneuve, Jean Gabin, Louis de Funès and Romy Schneider, as well as modern actors such as Jean Dujardin, Marion Cotillard, Guillaume Canet, Vincent Cassel, and Audrey Tautou. Here is a trailer for the service: 

Early investors include experts across cinema, tech and venture capital, including Chris Allexandre, Board Member of the cultural project Villa San Francisco, Arnaud de Fontenay, former General Manager of the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, Evan Tahler, former Director of Technology at TaskRabbit, and Julien Etaix, Chief Investment Officer of a $3Bn Family Office.