C8 and NRJ 12 will soon be definitively determined on their fate. On November 15, the two broadcasters will be able to make their arguments heard before the Council of State. Before the highest administrative court, they intend to challenge their eviction from the ongoing procedure for reallocation of 15 TNT frequencies in 2025.
In July, Arcom thus unveiled a pre-selection list of selected projects, which did not include either C8 or NRJ 12. A choice synonymous with the disappearance on March 1 of the two TNT channels, belonging respectively to the Canal + group and the NRJ. However, two newcomers are appearing: OFTV (Ouest-France group) and RéelsTV (CMI France, owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky).
Immediately denouncing the choice of the audiovisual regulator, NRJ 12 and C8 announced their intention to contest this announced death before the Council of State, filing in mid-September almost simultaneously appeals for interim relief and on the merits. The first were dismissed around ten days later by the administrative judge, the latter considering that the emergency condition was “not met”. The hearing on November 15 will be the one “on the merits”, and should decide the fate of the two branches and their employees.
“I don’t really believe in it,” however, confided Gérald Brice-Viret, director of programs and channels at Canal +, questioned at the start of the week by our colleagues from Le Figaro about this procedure. If it confirms that of Arcom, the decision of the administrative court will however not fail to accelerate events. For several months, the managers of Canal + have in fact suspended the announcement of their strategic choices concerning the Huit broadcasts from this decision of the Council of State.
“We are working on several options”, for example, they keep repeating about “Touche pas à mon poste”, Cyril Hanouna’s show. “We are in the Canal group, we remain in the Canal group. I’m putting together a big thing with them, so don’t worry,” the host of “TPMP” commented at the end of October. “There will be TV, a digital platform, digital press and paper press,” he said, promising to be “ready for the month of March”.
If the fate of C8 will be decided before the judge, the channel intends to mobilize its audience to increase its chances of success. In the same spirit as NRJ 12 which created the platform “I support NRJ 12!” in October. », La Huit has just launched a petition this Thursday called “Support for the C8 channel: Let's defend the 1st TNT channel and save jobs! “. Asking Arcom to allow it to continue broadcasting in the name of “respect for viewers”, the latter had been signed by nearly 250 people at 12:30 p.m.
