As the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris approaches, scheduled for December 7 and 8, a media dispute opposes TF1 and France Télévisions. Five years after the 2019 fire, the iconic cathedral will reopen its doors to the public, an event of national significance which arouses immense anticipation. But according to “Le Parisien”, the near exclusivity granted to France Télévisions to cover this event makes TF1 cringe, which deplores the methods of its competitor and the lack of compromise on the organization.
“How can the diocese let France Télévisions monopolize the entire Notre-Dame sequence?”
The festivities, which will extend over two days, will revolve around “three highlights“. On Saturday evening, a first religious ceremony will take place inside the cathedral, followed by a more secular celebration outside, during which President Emmanuel Macron will speak on the square, surrounded by several foreign heads of state This evening will also be marked by a two-hour special program, orchestrated by Stéphane Bern, mixing pop music, religious songs, and tributes to the firefighters and craftsmen who participated in the restoration of the building. Sunday morning, Notre-Dame will host its first mass since its closure, a moment that the faithful will be able to follow live.
The events will therefore be broadcast by France 2, which has been designated the official broadcaster. A decision which makes TF1 jump, which denounces a “monopole“imposed by France Télévisions.”How can the diocese let France Télévisions monopolize the entire Notre-Dame sequence? It's a national event, not the Olympics…“, we are indignant at the private channel, regretting a lack of dialogue and conditions not conducive to their participation.
The near exclusivity of the retransmission granted to France Télévisions means that only foreign channels will have free access to the images. On the other hand, French channels must pay to broadcast these moments. If LCI and BFMTV have expressed their interest in broadcasting the double ceremony on Saturday evening, TF1 for its part would already have “slammed the door“, explain our colleagues. The channel also criticizes the chosen schedule, which would force it not to broadcast its 8 p.m. news, as well as the impossibility of installing its own set on the square in front of Notre-Dame, a practice yet common during events such as the July 14 parade, TF1 thus sees this situation as an unfair imbalance, reinforced by the precedent of the Parade of Champions, planned after the Olympic Games, also entrusted exclusively to France Télévisions.
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“We were unable to discuss and express our point of view”
The organizational methods used by the public broadcasting group have also angered the private channel, which considers itself faced with a fait accompli. “We were not able to discuss and assert our point of view calmly. It’s in three weeks, an antenna, it’s organized in advance, so we’re not going there”confides to “Parisien” a source at TF1. “It is believed that the conditions are not met“, we assure in the corridors of the front page, where we also underline the importance of their investment in monitoring the work of Notre-Dame, recalling that their journalist Michel Izard documented the five years of construction for TF1. “How can the diocese do without TF1?“, s’agace-t-on.
For Michel Field, director of culture at France Télévisions, the situation remains manageable. “We are still in discussions with the other channels. There was talk that TF1 could have a studio, but according to the latest news, it seems that the schedule interests them less…”he explains. The manager also defends the long-term work carried out by the public service on this complex file, affirming that many details are still being finalized.
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