a very low and worrying TV audience for the Blues

If TF1 achieved the best audience of the evening this Thursday with an average of 3.982 million viewers for Israel-France (1-4), this is a particularly low score for a Blues match.

Should we see a real lack of public interest in their national team? A simple passing sulk? Or a consequence of the combined absences of Antoine Griezmann, newly retired international, and Kylian Mbappé, left at the disposal of Real Madrid? The meeting between Israel and France (1-4), played this Thursday in Budapest as part of the League of Nations, brought together 3.982 million viewers on average on TF1, representing an audience share of 21.3% for the channel, according to Médiamétrie.

The worst audience for the Blues in 2024

If TF1 scores the best audience of the evening, ahead of the France 3 TV film For the honor of a son (2.18 million) and the show The Best Pastry Chef on M6 (2.149 million), this is a particularly low score for a meeting of Didier Deschamps’ men. In recent years, even for its less prestigious posters, France has the habit of attracting at least 4 or even 5 million viewers.

For comparison, the France-Canada friendly match (0-0) last June, which had nevertheless been broadcast delayed on TF1 due to election night and the announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly , had done better by attracting an average of 4.42 million viewers.

In the history of less good audiences for the Blues in the still recent past, let us cite the friendly won against Bolivia (2-0) in June 2019, with goals from Thomas Lemar and Antoine Griezmann. Broadcast exceptionally on TMC, the TF1 group’s TNT channel, the match attracted 2.95 million viewers.

A month ago, the Nations League matches against Italy and Belgium attracted an average of 5.06 and 5.128 million viewers on average. During the Euro this summer in Germany, France allowed its broadcasters to achieve good scores with up to 16.12 million viewers for the semi-final lost against Spain. It now remains to be seen whether TF1 will return above 4 million for the Belgium-France scheduled for Monday, October 14, still within the framework of the League of Nations.