France 24 launched: TV with international news & cutlture in French & English

The big video news today for French learners is the launching of France 24 with 24-hour news, information and culture TV programming in both French and English with Arabic and Spanish to come.

The Wikipedia article on France 24 reports that:

France 24 will be available by satellite to most of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as by cable and antenna to New York and Washington, D.C.. Both the French and the French/English channels are available live on the France 24 website, broadcast en direct in Windows Media format.

I've been watching for the last hour or so via the Internet and both the French and English channels look quite good and interesting. Because of the Windows Media Format for the streaming, there is no problem with Windows computers. Mac users will need to use Flip4Mac in order to watch the WMP stream using QuickTime, or VLC Media Player.

France 24 promises to be a major presence on the international TV news scene now dominated by CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera, and an invaluable resource for those interested in the French language, culture and the French point de vue.