ARTE.tv: keys to successful international expansion

On this platform, Katharina Kloss, head of the European offers service at ART, reflects on the platform's internationalization strategy, a process in which it is committed to the adaptation of content, technological innovation and agreements with different public broadcasting organizations.

The other side of European streaming

For more than thirty years, ART embodies a unique ambition: to unite Europeans through culture and information. Born from a Franco-German alliance, the chain has become a platform for streaming multilingual, free and cross-border, where cultural diversity is at the center of the experience. With 2.8 billion views in 2024 (of which 25% come from outside France and Germany), ARTE demonstrates that its model, demanding, independent and accessible, seduces far beyond its historical borders.

A Europe in seven languages

From its beginnings, ARTE has opted for Franco-German bilingualism. Today, your platform arte.tv offers thousands of hours of content on seven languages: German, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Polish and, recently, Romanian. How do you achieve it? Thanks to a multilingual adaptation and segmented distribution system, co-financed by the European Commission and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE). This strategy pays off: the Romanian version, launched just three months ago, is already accumulating 36 million views (on YouTube, TikTok and arte.tv), confirming the appetite for quality European content. The result: the platform is now accessible to the 75% of Europeans in their mother tongue.

Before the year ends, 400 programs will be available in Romanian, from European cinema to shocking documentaries, for example, “How Ikea plunders the planet or a portrait of Ukrainian President Zelensky. A success that shows how ARTE adapts its offer to the uses of different local audiences without losing its essence: being a mirror of European cultures.

The steps for successful international expansion

In Spain, ART It is not limited to translating its contents: adapts and enriches them to integrate them into the local cultural panorama. His recent successes include a BBK concert with the artist Amaia, a cycle dedicated to Spanish cinema, a documentary about the 50 years since Franco's death or the adaptation of Carmage, the cult show about cultural differences. The latter, in particular, is especially successful on social networks thanks to episodes that highlight Spanish customs, which shows that localization goes far beyond a simple translation.

This growth is not only based on linguistic expansion, but also in deep reflection on healing and accessibility. Before establishing itself in a new market, the editorial team carefully analyzes cultural habits and studies the thematic preferences of each country. The goal? Offer a selection that reconciles the European identity of the platform with local expectations, so that the user immediately feels at home. This work requires a subtle balance between the universality of certain themes (ecology, creation, new technologies) and the national specificities that make up the cultural experience.

At the same time, ART is committed to technological excellence to expand its audience. In order to reach new audiences, part of the subtitles of its European offerings now combine automatic translation, optimized by artificial intelligence, and the post-editing and manual re-reading by expert linguists. This approach ensures both accuracy and cultural sensitivity, turning the technology into a tool at the service of demanding editorial curation and greater accessibility for all European audiences.

Europe just a click away

ART does not seek to erase differences, but make them talk. By expanding your linguistic offer, producing content with multiple perspectives and build bridges between cultures, the platform aspires to become the reference of streaming for all Europeans. It shows that a united cultural Europe is not only possible, but necessary.

Currently, they are co-produced 2,500 contents per year, working with more than 250 producers throughout Europe and thanks to agreements with 12 public audiovisual groups, among them RTVE in Spain, being the Swedish service SVT the latest addition.

Whether due to the success of Amaia's concert, the enthusiasm for the Romanian version or the cartographic exploration of Stories from the ContinentART proves that it exists another way of consuming culture: demanding, inclusive and resolutely European. In a media landscape dominated by entertainment giants and in the face of the geopolitical challenges of our time, arte.tv competes to offer an alternative: that of a Europe that dares to tell itself in all their languages, with all their voices.

Come discover it and contribute yours!