Television: why France 2’s 8pm news will be extended to 1 hour

Twice as much Anne-Sophie Lapix. That’s what awaits viewers of the 8pm news on France 2 starting Monday, September 9. The public channel has decided to extend the 8pm news. The goal: to “take the time” to “decipher” a “complex world,” explains France Télévisions.

The 8pm news currently lasts 35 minutes. Its duration will almost double to 1 hour. A duration that will be the same during the week with Anne-Sophie Lapix and at the weekend with Laurent Delahousse.

Why is France 2 extending its news?

At a time when continuous news channels and social networks allow people to get information quickly, France 2 intends to take its time and is demanding it. “We are going to give more time to the 8pm news because it is more necessary than ever in our complex environment,” explained the director of information for the public group Alexandre Kara, Thursday, September 5, at a press conference. For the president of France TV Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, “the French people’s demand to understand and decipher the world has increased tenfold.”

Is this extension of the news a surprise?

France 2 had never announced its intention to extend its newscast in a permanent manner. In the past, the channel has offered a one-hour newscast but the circumstances were exceptional: death of a personality, political news or disaster for example. “France 2 and TF1 have taken a turn for several months to extend reports”, notes for The Dispatch Nathalie Vigneau, deputy editor-in-chief of Télé Star, Télé Poche and Télé Mag. “This is the case for escapist or foreign reports in particular.”

What will the channel offer in this longer news program?

The presenter of the 8pm news, Anne-Sophie Lapix, promises “long reports to take the pulse of society” and “more investigations”. The journalist assures that despite the length of the news, the current pace will be maintained. Alexandre Kara specifies: “We are not going to choose to cover more information, but to cover it better. The idea is to lengthen the subjects when necessary” with reports and “more people on the set” such as “experts and specialist journalists”. On Fridays and weekends, the second part of the 8pm news will be devoted to magazine subjects. Laurent Delahousse will be surrounded by a group of 15 columnists whose names are not yet known.

Will this extension of the news find its audience? “I believe that there is a deep need to understand and to delve deeper,” believes Nathalie Vigneau for Télé Star, Télé Poche and Télé Mag. “The news channels have gotten into the habit of giving factual information and having long debates. Now, it will be possible to have precise reporting angles and bounce back on current issues.”

What programs will the newspaper replace?

Until now, the 8pm news lasted 35 minutes. It was followed by the weather, the short program “Moment d’exception” at 8:37pm, the series “Vestiaires” at 8:40pm and the soap opera “Un si grand soleil” at 8:45pm. Starting Monday, September 9, the soap opera “Un si grand soleil” will be broadcast on France 3 with the rebroadcast of the previous day’s episode at 8:20pm and the new episode of the day at 8:40pm. The prime time of France TV channels will begin at 9:05pm, after the traditional weather report, and no longer at 9:10pm.

How will TF1 react?

TF1 will maintain the duration of Gilles Bouleau and Anne-Claire Coudray’s news at 35 minutes. Its news is followed by the weather, “Petits plats en équilibre”, “My million” several times a week and soon the return of “C Canteloup”. It is above all a strategic time slot where advertising is sold at a high price between each short program. But there is no doubt that TF1 will closely monitor the audiences of the new format of the France 2 news.