In the last days of a campaign, you have candidates who give everything to get votes and news bosses who give everything to get the best guests! Because every election night, it’s who will have the best casting, the most beautiful set at 8 p.m. sharp!
And in this little game, last night, TF1 was formidable. Mathilde Panot, Olivier Faure, François-Xavier Bellamy, François Bayrou and the rising star of the National Rally, Laure Lavalette.
The channel also had the first appearances by Raphaël Glucksmann and François Ruffin.
Opposite, on France 2, there were Clémentine Autain, Louis Aliot, the Minister of Labor, Catherine Vautrin and Jean-François Copé. Without insulting them, it was less striking.
Then, all these little people move from one channel to another but in the 8 p.m. photo, TF1 demonstrated all its power. This is where the headliners go first.
This is particularly important for the channel because TF1 is playing the card of a tight evening. For a few years now, the channel has been picking up the numbers before the others. In Télé Poche, the end of the special show was announced for 9:30 p.m.
Anne-Claire Coudray and Gilles Bouleau pushed until 9:40 p.m. before launching “Les Bronzés 3, amis pour la vie”. A failed family comedy rather than secondary political guests, but TF1’s strategy has proven itself.
Two years ago, the front page crushed the competition for the evening of the first round of the presidential election. As of 10 p.m., there were still more than 2 million viewers watching the Sunday night movie.
Since it no longer dominates French television head and shoulders, the channel is making choices which should allow it to make an impression, therefore to the detriment of its main competitor. From France 2, yes!
So while TF1 is playing it quickie, on France 2, it’s starter, main course, cheese, dessert, digestif and off we go for the night. Officially, the evening was supposed to end around midnight. The risk is that as the hours go by, interest will diminish.
Moreover, we saw it in the audience curves. Until 9:30 p.m., France 2 is almost on a par with TF1 and then, the audience leaves the room.
Does this mean that France 2 should take inspiration from TF1? If one day, France 2 is privatized, that’s what it will do, but at this stage, not easy. So it’s not me here who’s going to tell you that it’s not important. Moreover, France Télés does the job in each election. This was the case for the Europeans. You remember, it was 21 days ago, an eternity. And that was once again the case for these legislative elections.
There is politics everywhere, on all its channels, but in the money time, it is overtaken and the headliners of the political class prefer TF1. It is cruel but it is TV.
Next Sunday, at 9:30 pm, on TF1, they have planned Skyscraper. The story of an angry and muscular guy who is going to put out a fire in a skyscraper in Hong Kong all by himself. It’s going to be great.
