French audiovisual has not finished experiencing revolutions. Arcom plans to change the numbering of TNT channels next spring. News channels are the main targets. Today, LCI is on channel 26, France Info TV 27, BFMTV 15 and CNews 16. The objective would be to bring together the channels LCI and France Info TV, BFM TV and CNews in order to create a “block of channels info”.
There is no question of creating a block of channels for children, or documentaries, or even sports. There is also no question of bringing the public parliamentary channel, channel 13, closer to France Info TV. M6 could also have taken the place of TF1 on channel 1. All the numbering is therefore not called into question. But the information. TV is the main source of information for the French. 39% of them watch news channels every day. The president of Arcom Roch-Olivier Maistre before the Senate culture committee, justified his project to create this block of news channels, “in the public interest”. However, according to a BFMTV survey, 81% of French people do not want this change.
DTT is the exclusive reception mode for 19% of households in France but 47% in the United Kingdom, 42% in Germany, 54% in Spain, 66% in Italy. The French favor access to television via Internet boxes at 58%. The battle of the boxes should therefore follow.
This change in numbering should shake up the audience shares of news channels at a time when CNews has become the leading news channel in France. TF1, owner of LCI, estimates that if its news channel found itself next to BFMTV and CNews, it could gain 20 to 30% of the audience, benefiting from a zapping reflex.
A new rule in audiovisual
If the BFMTV and CNews channels are positioned well before LCI and France Info TV, it is because the CSA (Arcom) had created a rule by establishing DTT: the channels were placed in order of arrival. Many did not believe in free DTT. BFMTV, with Alain Weill, immediately seized its chance. I-Télé followed by daring to leave the paid system of news channels, and LCI, which was the first news channel created in 1994 on a paid model, did not want the free one offered by the CSA. The regulatory authority was looking for allies to launch its new system and when LCI wanted to change its mind in 2014, we were only two members of the authority, far too much of a minority, to want to authorize LCI on free DTT.
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The CSA wanted, in a way, to punish TF1 for not having believed in its system. It was only much later, on April 5, 2016, that LCI was able to broadcast on free, except that three months later, on July 6, 2016, the CSA authorized the creation of France Info which began its broadcast on TNT free on September 1, 2016.
So much energy to influence the choice of the French
This disrupted the treatment of information on each of the news channels and the CSA invited them not to have the same treatment of information but to move more towards debates. What is being criticized today, mainly against CNews. If the public favors CNews, the criticisms rain down, the sanctions follow one another and, as if this channel had to be taken by pincers, the upheaval of the numbering arrives. Is it also a question of promoting public service, like France Inter, boosted by having the most frequencies distributed throughout France compared to other radio stations?
When MPs get involved
A parliamentary report supported Arcom's desire to shake up the audiovisual landscape. He proposes that France Info, in its capacity as a public channel and to compensate for its declining audiences, take first place in this future block of news channels in the channel numbering process at place 12 or 14. MPs Sophie Taillé- Polian (Val-de-Marne, Génération.s) of the NFP and Céline Calvez (Hauts-de-Seine, Renaissance) are the co-signatories. Sophie Taillé-Polian, who has always refused the debate on CNews, posted on X on November 25 her intervention at the National Assembly: “Public broadcasting is the media that the French trust the most, we have extremely large audiences… growing, extremely dynamic and innovative companies which attract and unite around them, they do good for our country… »
The MP adds: “Ah yes, the pluralism at C8 and CNews, we know well, yes… Together, they do not make 6% of the audience while the public service makes more than 30.” I will note a comment below his post: “Some say 6% of audience with 100 million, but 30% with 4 billion euros of French taxes… that does not speak for public service…” It is the MP's allies within the NFP, LFI, who have just proposed removing the offense of advocating terrorism from the Penal Code, denouncing insufficient protection of freedom of expression. Céline Calvez (Hauts-de-Seine, Renaissance) also stood out this week on X: “Thank you to Minister @AGenetet for recalling the need for the emotional, relational and sexual life education program, its objectives and its adaptation to each age… And for clearly recalling that the “gender theory” does not exist! … Stop the reactionary speeches! »
So much energy to shake up the French audiovisual sector, the numbering of news channels, to influence the choice of French people who have the remote control. To combat one of the greatest scourges of society, access to pornography, there is no one left. Banned from television, but free access to our children. Is it harder to fight? Is it less ideological? It would be an honor for our company.
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