“An hour of information, reporting and investigation”Anne-Sophie Lapix now announces daily at the opening of France 2’s “8 p.m.” broadcast. One hour, compared to thirty-five minutes previously and while its main competitor, TF1’s news, lasts on average only forty minutes. This considerable extension, made possible in particular thanks to the transfer of the serial Such a big sun to France 3, was announced during the France Télévisions back-to-school conference on September 4, and implemented less than a week later, on the 9th.
A month has passed since then, and the channel says “satisfied to have made the bet to take the time”says Muriel Pleynet, director of national editorial offices. Take the time, of course, but to do what exactly? During its back-to-school conference, the group highlighted the increased need to decipher a complex world. “We do not deal with more subjects, explains Muriel Pleynet. The objective is to treat them better, to allow ourselves to let the reports live, to narrow down the subjects less to fit them into boxes, to allow time for testimony, story or investigation to offer information. more complete. »
Offer analysis that goes beyond the factual
“We are constantly bombarded with information, she continues. Social networks, push notifications, continuous news channels deliver them gradually. So when we arrive at 8 p.m., we need to be able to offer viewers an analysis that goes beyond the factual. » A coherent approach, according to Marie-France Chambat-Houillon, audiovisual semiologist: “Our information practices tend to multiply and accumulate: each platform now meets a different need. It is interesting that the “8 p.m.” period brings this decline. »
The objective is also to respond to different audiences. Offer a relatively complete account of the day’s news to those for whom “8 p.m.” has remained the time of the announcement, while going in-depth on the subjects for the “hyperconnected” who have already received the raw information. “By giving ourselves more time, we can walk on both legs and leave no one behind”estimates the editorial director.
“This is what you would expect from a public service media”greets François Jost, director of the review Television and professor at the Sorbonne-Nouvelle. For the researcher, there is little risk of viewers dropping out despite the duration and the demands of the subjects which follow one another between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. “The reports, investigations, interviews and other stories are well articulated and sufficiently catchy”he believes.
No drop in ratings, no jump
The numbers, at this stage, seem to prove him right. “We attract around 4 million viewers every evening, which was already our average before the summer”welcomes Muriel Pleynet. She voluntarily excludes from her calculation the period of the Olympic Games, compared to which the channel logically saw a drop in its audience.
No dropout, therefore. But no jump either for the second channel, which TF1 largely left behind over the first half of the year. While the France 2 television news attracted an average of 4.1 million viewers over the first six months of 2024, TF1 had 5.3 million on its channel. The challenge for the public service channel is therefore to win over new regulars.
In the meantime, Muriel Pleynet is delighted to receive initial feedback from viewers “enthusiastic and encouraging”, which also offer some prospects for improvement. “Some tell us of a need for more benchmarks, perhaps with recurring headings,” admits the editorial director. For the moment, the channel has abandoned this restrictive structure. Open to making changes, Muriel Pleynet nevertheless says she does not “not wanting (s’) lock into a driver who must remain guided by current events.” To be continued.
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