France: Arcom selects 15 TNT services
July 24, 2024
By Nik Roseveare
Arcom, the French media regulator, has pre-selected the channels that applied for national broadcasting authorisation on terrestrial hertzian (TNT) frequencies.
Digital terrestrial television (DTT), the exclusive reception mode for nearly 20 per cent of households in France, remains an essential means of broadcasting for the public. Taken together, DTT channels constitute the most structuring offering in the French audiovisual landscape; they currently represent more than 90 per cent of the total television audience.
In view of the expiry in 2025 of the authorisations for fifteen services, and after having carried out a public consultation and a preliminary impact study in 2023, Arcom launched a call for applications on February 28th 2024 for the publication of national DTT services, full-time and in HD.
A total of 25 applications were declared admissible, one of which withdrew. From July 8th to 17th, Arcom held public hearings with each of the 24 candidates. Following these hearings and after a comparative examination of the application files, the Authority, meeting in plenary session, pre-selected, as a preparatory measure, the following 15 projects:
- BFM TV (BFM TV company)
- CANAL+ (CANAL PLUS publishing company)
- CANAL+ CINEMA(S) (CANAL PLUS publishing company)
- CANAL+ SPORT (CANAL PLUS publishing company)
- CNEWS (News Service Operating Company)
- CSTAR (CSTAR company)
- GULLI (JEUNESSE TV company)
- LCI (THE INFO CHANNEL company)
- OF TV (OUEST-FRANCE TV company)
- PARIS PREMIERE (PARIS PREMIERE company)
- PLANETE+ (Canal+ Thématiques company)
- RÉELSTV (CMI France company)
- TFX (TFX company)
- TMC (TELE MONTE CARLO company)
- W9 (EDI-TV company)
Notably, the Bollore/Canal+ channel c8 nor NRJ Group’s NRJ 12 channel were reauthorised (making way for OF TV and ReelsTV).
Arcom explains that its based its decision on the criteria mentioned in Articles 29, 30 and 30-1 of the law of 30 September 1986, in particular assessing the interest of each project for the public with regard to the priority requirement of pluralism of socio-cultural currents of expression.
The Authority will now establish agreements with each of the successful candidates, an essential condition for the issuance of an authorisation to use the radioelectric resource on DTT, for a maximum duration of ten years. The numbering of services will be reviewed in the autumn before the issuance of authorisations. A logical number will be assigned to each authorised candidate, in accordance with the principles of the law of September 30th 1986, which include the public interest.
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