LYON, France (AFP) — The Africanews channel launched Monday, with coverage of the continent in English and French, is only available online for now, but its backers hope to expand to TV broadcasts soon.

The start-up aims to cover news from a purely African perspective and transmit on TV networks “within weeks”, following the model of its sister operation Euronews in Lyon, France, said Michael Peters, who heads the two news operations.

Africanews (www.africanews.com), headquartered in the Republic of Congo, will offer general, sports, business and culture news services that can be tailored to the strength of the user’s internet connection.

The channel’s newsroom employs 85 people from 15 nationalities and is temporarily based in Pointe-Noire, the second-largest city in the Republic of the Congo, while waiting for the Government to build its headquarters in the capital Brazzaville.

In several weeks, Africanews will launch news bulletins in Swahili and is looking for partners to expand its coverage to other African languages.