Europe 2 TV rebranded Virgin 17

Lagardère Active’s French DTT music channel Europe 2 will be rebranded Virgin 17 from the new year.

French regulator the CSA has approved the switch, which has seen Lagardère sign a 10-year licence agreement with British group Virgin to use the brand. Lagardère Group will pay 0.5 % to 1 % of its turnover to Virgin.

Lagardère said there will be no change in the channel’s editorial line. The channel has a policy of promoting French-speaking music talents but has also acquired foreign shows including Company Pictures’ Skins, Kodansha’s anime series Nana and Madhouse’s Tokyo Tribe 2.

The deal also covers the Europe 2 radio station, which will be rebranded Virgin Radio.

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly