Three months before the scheduled end of its frequency, C8, the channel of the controversial host Cyril Hanouna, takes to the front on Friday in court to challenge the decision of the audiovisual regulator, and is garnering support.
Owned by the Canal+ group, in the hands of ultra-conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, C8 launched a petition at the end of last week to request its continuation, which has already gathered more than 600,000 signatures.
The hearing on the merits before the Council of State, the highest administrative court, will be held in the afternoon and the decision will be deliberated in the weeks that follow. The NRJ 12 channel, whose frequency has also not been renewed, is also involved.
The Council of State already rejected their appeals brought in summary proceedings (emergency procedure) in September.
400 jobs
At the origin of their ire, the preselection unveiled in July by Arcom for the reallocation of 15 TV frequencies in 2025: the independent regulatory authority ruled out the renewal of NRJ 12 and C8, whose lease expires at the end February, and did not retain the radical left web television Le Média, which also referred the matter to the Council of State.
Two newcomers were preferred: OFTV (Ouest France group) and RéelsTV (CMI France, from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky).
To base this preselection, Arcom indicated that it had assessed “in particular the interest of each project for the public with regard to the priority imperative of pluralism”.
The channels still in the running, however, will only obtain their authorization to broadcast after having signed new agreements with the regulator, by the end of the year.
But NRJ 12 took the lead and referred the matter to the Council of State in September. According to its owner NRJ Group, the “economic viability” and therefore “the existence” of the channel is threatened and, by extension, “the economic model of Chérie 25”, another antenna of the same group.
C8 followed in court, citing a situation “particular with regard to the economic, social and competitive issues generated” for a channel that has existed “for almost 20 years”, according to its owner Canal+. Some 400 jobs are affected.
C8 accumulated fines of 7.6 million euros due to the slip-ups of its star host Cyril Hanouna. Arcom “above all intended to sanction the channel” for these “failings” linked to the program “Touche pas à mon poste” (TPMP) but these have already been “heavily sanctioned”, Canal+ points out again.
Prepare for after
Cyril Hanouna prepares for any eventuality. He assured at the end of October that he would remain in any case in the Canal+ group, within which he is working to create a multimedia offer available on the internet and in print, in addition to television.
The media of the entire group are mobilized to maintain C8. The channel is “popular”, with more than 9 million viewers per day, and “we must never despise the public”, said Pascal Praud, one of the headliners of CNews, on Tuesday. “The suspicion of a political decision hangs over Arcom’s decision,” he also argued.
This is because the renewal of frequencies has also stirred up the political sphere.
LFI deputy Aurélien Saintoul, rapporteur for a commission of inquiry into TNT in early 2024, notably deplored in July that Arcom had accepted the candidacy of CNews, accused by many left-wing politicians of promoting extreme ideas. right, which she disputes.
CNews has reached the top step of the podium of continuous news channels several times in recent months.
Digital terrestrial television (DTT), launched in 2005 in mainland France, still largely structures the French audiovisual landscape and remains the only mode of television reception for nearly 20% of households equipped with a set.
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