Will there be a change in the numbering of DTT channels to create a thematic block around information? The question will be decided in December, “once the process“the agreement of the 15 channels selected for the allocation of a frequency in 2025 will have come to an end, indicated the president of Arcom Roch-Olivier Maistre before the senators of the Culture Committee who heard him on Wednesday 16 october.
A project desired by TF1
To be able to arbitrate, the regulator will have in mind “what the law says“, namely the taking into account of “public interest“. This revolves around the “material comfort of handling the remote control“, in other words the organization of programs, and “habits” of the viewer, explained Roch-Olivier Maistre, detailing his hypothesis, recalling that the TNT audience is rather old. “It's not about turning everything upside down“, he assured, as reported by “Satellifacts”.
The question was brought up again by Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of the TF1 group, during his hearing for the renewal of LCI's TNT frequency, currently broadcast on channel 26. The deputy general director for information of the TF1 group, Thierry Thuillier, for his part, pleaded for “creating an info channel block” Who “would allow us to recreate a form of fairness of opportunity“. “The very distant numbering of LCI is a handicap“, he lamented.
This question is also at the heart of the concerns of the channels which will appear on TNT after the ouster of C8 and NRJ 12. Ouest-France TV for example, “will not accept“to figure”beyond channel 23“or the frequency of RMC Story, warned Fabrice Bazard, the general director of the Ouest-France group.”We will fight to have adequate numbering“, in other words before channel 19, left vacant after the shutdown of France Ô in 2020.
On the contrary, one voice has been raised from the start against this project to change the numbering of news channels: that of Nicolas de Tavernost, CEO of RMC/BFM. The one who assured before Arcom last July that “changing the numbering will not solve the accessibility problem“, once again denounced the project in the columns of “Échos”.Changing the channel numbering for the benefit of our colleagues would be a real hold-up“, he said.
“We would once again change the rules in favor of certain competitors”
Nicolas de Tavernost
“BFM was the first to invest since 2005 in the development of this offer. No one has invested as much as BFM and employs as many journalists. For twenty years, BFM has been in the information field, and today, some would like to capture part of its audience by getting closer to it. Would we consider letting a competing store open in the parking lot of a supermarket so that it can take advantage of its catchment area?“, continued the vice-president of CMA Média. Nicolas de Tavernost estimated that this change in numbering “would necessarily be significant because DTT remains a very important mode of access, especially for the elderly public who watch news channels and who switch around with their remote control“.
“We would once again change the rules in favor of certain competitors“, regretted the former boss of M6, in passing a tackle to the former managers (Marc-Olivier Fogiel and Hervé Béroud left BFM a few days ago, editor's note) of the continuous news channel: “And to tell you the truth, I am surprised that this subject of numbering for BFM did not mobilize the previous management before my arrival, even though the impact could be significant.“.
