AFP: New management for Brazil

Pierre Ausseill will be leaving his position as deputy editor-in-chief for Europe-Africa at the headquarters which he has held since January 2011. Pierre Ausseill joined AFP in 1996 as correspondent for the Paris high courts for three years. He then served as deputy to the Libreville bureau director in Gabon from where he covered central Africa news until 2003. As the Madrid bureau correspondent between 2004 and 2006, Pierre Ausseill served as its No. 2 until September 2010.

The appointment of Pierre Ausseill coincides with the arrival of Juliette Hollier-Larousse as new director of the Latin America region. The aim of the new executive team is to continue the Brazil Plan that emphasises video offering and handling of local sports events. The Brazil Plan was one of the AFP strategic priorities in 2011. It was launched in 2010 with the aim of developing international coverage in Portuguese along with local coverage in text, photographs, video and multimedia contents.

Six months after the launch of its HD video service in Brazil, AFP now boasts some of the most important web portals in its client portfolio. The agency recently signed two contracts with broadcast clients. ESPN has purchased coverage of Euro 2012 and of the London 2012 Olympics, while TV Século 21, one of Brazil's leading Catholic television network, will receive AFP's entire production of videos edited and voiced in Portuguese.

AFP has signed partnership contracts with Brazilian photo agencies to enhance its local photographic offering. Agency clients can receive content as of July 2012 from the sports photography agency AGIF, which specialises in sports events in Brazil, and from Brazil Photo Press, which provides images about the main news items in Brazil and worldwide.

AFP has also signed a partnership with the Argentine company DataFactory, a leader in the market for sports data in Latin America. The Agency's Brazilian sales network has been distributing its content exclusively since December 2011 to provide real-time coverage of all soccer matches in the major leagues in Brazil and Latin America.