why has the competition become endless?

You may have noticed: it is increasingly difficult to know who is the next Miss France without having drunk a cup or two of coffee before sitting down in front of the television. The fault is a competition which lasts later and later, to the point that we now know the name of the winner shortly before 1 a.m.

To find out if it's just a feeling, The New Republic noted the start time and end time of the broadcast of Miss France over the last thirty years thanks to the notices provided by Ina. Our observation is clear: the show ended before midnight in the 2000s, but its conclusion is now much later.

In TF1 nor the Miss France Committee wished to explain to us the reasons for this development, which also concerns other popular television shows. In particular, early evening shows start later and later and are also longer and longer.

More advertising

As early as 2019, the CSA noted “a gradual shift in broadcast times for the first part of the evening”. Miss France has also followed this trend: the competition is no longer broadcast before 9:10 p.m.

This extension of the broadcast may allow TF1 to broadcast more advertising, TNT channels being limited to a maximum of twelve minutes per hour. On the other hand, “a large part of the production costs are fixed and not linked to the duration of the show”says Alain Le Diberder, former director of programs at Arte and specialist in audiovisual economics.

However, “late advertising spots, for example at 11:30 p.m., are less expensive than earlier ones. Even if the space before the result is a little stronger »notes the specialist.