Where have the millions of viewers gone? Since Friday June 14, TF1 and M6 – partially – and beIN SPORTS – completely – have been broadcasting Euro 2024 football on their channels. If TF1 and M6 can boast of having both achieved the three best audiences of the current year with the matches of the French team – up to 11.25 million viewers (47. 6% of the public) for Austria/France on June 17 on TF1 – a TF1 executive admits this to puremedias.com. “On the Blues matches, we observed an audience drop of 10 to 15% on TF1 and M6“. There is no photo in fact! France/Germany, the first poster of Euro 2020 (broadcast in 2021) for Didier Deschamps’ men, mobilized 15.10 million viewers on June 15 on M6, i.e. 57.5% of 4+ and 60.0% of women responsible for purchases aged under 50. In the first round, the audience had climbed to 15.6 million viewers (57.6% of the public). in front of France/Portugal on June 23.
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“On M6, the drop is more pronounced”
Frédéric de Vincelles doesn’t hide behind his little finger either: “These are very strong audiences. (up to 10.21 million viewers on average (47.4% of the public) ahead of Netherlands/France on June 21 on M6, editor’s note) but we could have expected a little more“, slipped this Wednesday at puremedias.comthe general director of programs in charge of platforms and sport within the M6 group.
The French team also had to leave the match! M6, in particular, was held in check at least twice on match nights. Italy’s entry into the competition, which was less watched than a rerun of “Meurtres à Figeac” on France 3, attracted fewer than 3 million viewers on Saturday, June 15. On Tuesday, June 25, the evening of a debate between Jordan Bardella, Manuel Bompard and Gabriel Attal on TF1, England/Slovenia, also broadcast on M6, had to settle for third place in ratings (2.27 million viewers, 12.0% of the audience).
“We are seeing a stagnation in audience figures for Euro 2024 matches excluding the Blues on TF1“, recognizes a front page executive. Before trumpeting: “On M6, the decline is more pronounced. This is in line with the channel which has been at less than 8.0% daily audience share in recent months.“.
“Political news overwhelms everything”
Why is there no enthusiasm? “Political news crushes everything. When you turn on a news channel since June 9 (date of the European elections, editor’s note)you have almost only debates around the legislative elections. In normal times, the Euro would have had much more space on the airwaves on the news channels and greater coverage in the press“, estimates a TF1 executive, joined on this point by Frédéric de Vincelles.”The political context came to shatter the party”, analyzes, for his part, Frédéric de Vincelles who also thinks that “the concomitance with the Paris Olympic Games” did not help Euro 2024 to enter the daily lives of the French.
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Franco-French events would therefore be at the origin of this decline. “What we see is that it is true here, it is true at TF1. On the other hand, it is not true at all everywhere in Europe.“, Frédéric de Vincelles tries to reassure himself.”I was yesterday (Tuesday June 25, editor’s note) in Dortmund and Cologne, where I met my European counterparts. For them, it’s a hit. In Germany, the organizing country, Germany/Switzerland had 25 million viewers, 73% audience share at home.”
Another element cited: the “disappointing” play of the French team. “The Blues’ preparatory matches did not excite the public” recognizes one of our interlocutors while Didier Deschamps’ team has only scored two goals in its first three Euro matches (one against its own camp against Austria and the other from a penalty against to Poland).
What if Euro 2024 started now?
At TF1 as at M6, we hope that with the start of the knockout matches, audiences will soar. “Until then, we were in the warm-up lap. With the repechage of four best thirds, the sporting stakes were limited. I am quite confident that with the final phases which open this Saturday, June 29, we will reach a milestone“, stamps Frédéric de Vincelles.
“The numbers will gradually increase if the Blues go far in the competition.”a source at TF1 agrees.We can expect a big audience with the France/Belgium clash Monday July 1 at 6 p.m.“. France/Poland, the latest match broadcast at 6 p.m. on TF1, attracted 9.35 million viewers (53.8% of the public) this Tuesday, June 25. A benchmark to beat!
Ludovic Galtier Lloret & Benjamin Rabier
