MONDAY INTERVIEW. Ronan Dubois reveals the strategic ambitions of a rapidly changing media marked by the end of the paper newspaper in 2024. With a model that is now 100% digital, 20 Minutes wants to establish itself as a key player in information and entertainment. The objective? Combine audience and innovation to achieve financial balance from 2025 after having entrusted part of the marketing of its inventories to 366. To do this, the media will focus on video by moving closer to 20 Minutes TV of which Ronan Dubois will be appointed general manager. In this interview with The Media Leader, he details the ambitions and new identity of 20 Minutes.
The Media Leader: You are announcing a new strategic phase for 20 Minutes, with rebranding and a refocusing on digital. Why these decisions now?
Ronan Dubois: These decisions are part of a context of profound transformation for 20 Minutes. The end of paper in 2024 marked the end of an era, but it was a necessary choice to guarantee the sustainability of the medium. For nearly 20 years, our model was based on free access and proximity to readers via distribution in transport. However, Covid-19 has disrupted our ecosystem: successive lockdowns have stopped distribution, and paper manufacturing costs have become unsustainable.
We therefore made a major strategic decision: refocus 20 Minutes on digital, an area where we were already well established (16 million unique visitors per month, 100 million videos viewed according to Médiamétrie) thanks to early investments, particularly in our application. Rebranding is a way of marking this transition and modernizing our image to reflect our ambitions: to become a key digital player, by offering reliable, innovative content adapted to new uses.
Our goal is to maximize the monetization of each content by adapting it to different media.
TML: Video seems to play a central role in this transformation. Why this choice, and how is this strategy deployed?
RD: Video has become essential in the consumption habits of audiences, particularly young urban workers, who constitute a significant part of our readership. We therefore decided to structure our strategy around this format with a clear ambition: to make 20 Minutes a global digital platform (written, audio, video, social, TV) for leading information and entertainment.
We now produce between 3 and 4 hours of video content every day. This includes weekly shows of 26 to 52 minutes, focused on our editorial verticals such as Planète, Vie Pro or even lifestyle. These broadcasts are designed to be fragmented into short capsules, suitable for broadcast on the site, the application, social networks, YouTube and even on our channel 20 Minutes TV, available in Île-de-France via TNT and on the TV box.
Our goal is to maximize the monetization of each content by adapting it to different media. For example, a show can give rise to several capsules, integrated into enriched articles, Instagram stories or long replay formats. This approach not only allows us to reach a wider audience, but also offers premium context to advertisers.
We recorded between 80 and 100 million streams on average per month in 2024 on desktop and mobile alone, and we aim to quadruple this figure by the end of 2025, thanks to a new social media distribution strategy . But it’s not just a question of volume: we also want to strengthen our positioning as a reliable, innovative, creative and essential media for brands looking for quality communication contexts.
Today, 20 Minutes has 120 employees, including 55 journalists.
TML: How has this transition impacted your teams and your internal organization?
RD: We have completely redesigned our organization and reversed our production model to adapt it to digital requirements. We are ending the tyranny of support. Content rules. We think about news, consumption, culture, high tech, planet, lifestyle… and these are the media that feed on them, the content streaming across all channels.
Today, 20 Minutes has 120 employees, including 55 journalists. We have strengthened and created a dedicated digital center, which brings together experts in social media, SEO, content editors and data analysts. This department is responsible for the content distribution strategy on the platforms and works hand in hand with the editorial staff to optimize the impact of our publications.
At the same time, we have strengthened our teams dedicated to special operations (OPS): strategic gliders, creatives, production managers. This activity represents 20% of our revenue today and the objective is to triple this figure within three years. These teams work on innovative activations, often designed in connection with our editorial verticals.
-Finally, we will soon inaugurate two studios, including a TV set, concomitantly with the launch of our new program schedule. This strategic choice allows us to produce broadcast quality content while controlling costs and guaranteeing perfect consistency with the editorial line.
TML: You have entrusted the marketing of your classic advertising spaces to 366. Why this choice and what conclusions do you draw from this collaboration?
RD: Entrusting classic advertising management to 366 was an obvious choice as part of our transformation. 366 has recognized expertise on the market. Their complementarity with our national positioning, particularly strong among young urban workers, played a decisive role.
Concretely, this collaboration allows us to benefit from a well-established commercial structure, capable of consolidating the sales of spaces over the counter and programmatically (open auction). This frees up our internal teams to focus on tailored special operations (OPS) and activations.
In terms of results, the first months of collaboration with 366 are encouraging. The commercial objectives are in line with our expectations, even if the market remains very competitive. Finally, this partnership guarantees 20 Minutes to preserve its identity as a strong and independent brand. Our spaces are sold both stand-alone and in packs.
Shareholders have made it clear that they will no longer replenish the company’s losses.
TML: What was the role of your shareholders in this transformation?
RD: Our shareholders, Ouest-France and Rossel, played a decisive role. They supported this transformation by financing the necessary investments in digital and video. That said, this involvement is accompanied by a strong expectation: to achieve financial balance by 2025. Shareholders have clearly indicated that they will no longer replenish the company’s losses. It is additional pressure, but also an opportunity to prove that we are capable of building a sustainable economic model, based on innovation and diversification.
TML: What does rebranding mean for the identity of 20 Minutes?
RD: The rebranding symbolizes our entry into a new phase. The logo reflects modernity, speed and modularity. We kept the historic blue, but added colors to differentiate our editorial verticals and structure our offer.
Beyond the visual identity, this rebranding marks our desire to be a true daily companion for our readers. We want to support them from their first news in the morning to their evening activities, whether it is a good cultural tip, practical advice or news that concerns them.
TML: What are your economic and editorial objectives for the years to come?
RD: Our goal is to grow our revenues by 15% in 2025, with diversification focused on three pillars: video, special operations and brand content.
Editorially, we want to continue to innovate by enriching our verticals and developing new formats. The objective is clear: to strengthen our role as a hybrid player, at the crossroads of information and entertainment, while remaining faithful to our DNA of free, reliable information accessible to as many people as possible.
