France: Thematic channels under pressure
November 27, 2025
From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris
Over the last ten years, French thematic channels have lost some €800 million in distribution revenues, which decreased from a total of €2.55 billion in 2014 to €1.76 billion in 2023. Over the same period, their ad revenues fell by 40 per cent, according to trade body ACCES.
In 2025, 400 jobs were lost and eight thematic channels were closed including the likes of Game One, MTV Hits and BET. For such pay-TV channels, which account for one third of the television industry turnover and 24 per cent of the total investment into domestic production, the business model is under pressure.
“The distribution revenues goes down, the international competition rises and illicit piracy make channels lose millions of euros each year. Besides were are collectively confronted to a diminished ad market that makes the TV market losing momentum,” reported TF1 Group content director, Ara Aprikian, at the thematic channels’ annual meeting in Paris.
For content editors, who struggle to find out new outlets, distribution has become a crucial question in a business context characterised by a hyper offering and a fragmented environment also made of FAST TV, CTV, OTT, AVoD, BVoD and SVoD services.
Among the hundred channels offered by Samsung and LG to their customers through CTV, less than 20 are coming from thematic channel broadcasters.
Hyperdistribution is even considered as contributing to lowering the perceived value of pay-TV channels from the subscribers’ point of view, according to some observers.
Though FAST channels could be considered as “a growth lever to compensate for the decline in advertising on thematic channels, they do not allow the creation of value, premium brands or revenues in the same way as thematic channels,” suggested Vincent Grynbaum, Mediawan Thematics managing director.
Taking advantage of their annual meeting, the thematic broadcasters are urging public authorities to plan a “regulatory overhaul”.
“Thematic broadcasters are the neglected ones of a regulatory framework which isn’t adapted to them. They are also faced with illicit piracy, that represented 9 million consumers in 2024 and €200 million in losses. If nothing happens, many more thematic channels will disappear,” warned Eric Brion, general delegate of ACCES.
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