Delphine Ernotte is on cloud nine. The success of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games have boosted France Télévisions, which some politicians were recently planning to privatize or merge with Radio France. “We have had an incredible experience and an unprecedented mobilization […]”A perfect performance, say our viewers,” its CEO rejoiced on September 4 alongside Tony Estanguet on the stage set up at the headquarters of France Télévisions.
Thanks to the Olympics, the public channel France 2 overtook TF1 for the first time since privatization in 1987. In August 2024, its audience share jumped to 23.3%, an increase of 9.1 points over a year, compared to 16.9% for TF1, a drop of 2.2 points. On the morning of September 10, Delphine Ernotte, still on her post-Paralympic cloud, emphasized on France Inter: “Our concern is to balance the accounts of France Télévisions every year, to balance the additional cost that hosting the Games represents in terms of production and rights. It turns out that advertising has helped to balance it. So we have spent public money as fairly as possible.”
Expenditure and income
Talking about “balancing” is a bit hasty. Let’s take a quick look back. On the orders of the Élysée, the shareholder State had put pressure on France Télévisions to acquire the broadcasting rights for Paris 2024 in 2019, the lot also including the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The purchase is being made from […] Read more
