French broadcasters M6 Group and Canal+ have renewed their multi-year agreements for the distribution of all free DTT channels (M6, W9, 6ter, Gulli), pay services (Paris Première, téva, M6 Music, Canal J, Tiji, RFM TV, MCM) and their associated services and features, as well as the SVoD service GulliMax for Canal+ subscribers. This agreement covers the […]

TF1 has lost its appeal at a Paris Appeal Court which ruled that pay-TV operator Canal+ is not obliged to reinstate the five TF1 DTT channels on its TNT Sat satellite offering. This confirms the outcome from the previous hearing on September 22nd at the Paris Commercial Court (Tribunal De Commerce de Paris) which advanced […]

Following the collapse of the planned merger between French commercial broadcasters TF1 and M6, RTL Group has announced that it has decided to keep its controlling stake in Groupe M6. The decision follows a review of strategic options after RTL Group received several financially attractive offers for its 48.3 per cent shareholding in Groupe M6. […]

Stephane Courbit, the chair of Banijay, has emerged as the frontrunner bidding for M6 Group via his FL Entertainment investor, along with other, reports Bloomberg. M6 owner Bertelsmann put it on the block after the regulator stopped its TF1 merger, and has reportedly received three offers. The group led Courbit has offered €20 a share […]

Rodolphe Belmer, formerly CEO at Canal+ and Eutelsat, is to join French commercial PSB TF1 as Director General. The move follows the failure of the attempted merger between TF1 and fellow PSB M6. Gilles Pélisson, currently Chairman and Director General, will propose Belmer’s appointment at the company’s Board meeting on October 27th. On this date, […]

The Paris Commercial Court (Tribunal De Commerce de Paris) has dismissed public service broadcaster TF1’s complaint against pay-TV operator Canal+ aimed at restoring its channels on the TNT Sat service. On September 7th, the TF1 group summoned the Canal+ group to the Court demanding that Canal+ restore the signal of its TF1, TMC, TFX, LCI, […]

German media group Bertelsmann has put French commercial broadcaster M6 up for sale following the failed merger attempt with fellow French broadcast group TF1, according to the FT, with Thomas Rabe, Bertelsmann’s chief executive, revealing that the company had been “inundated with expressions of interest”. Bertelsmann has asked for indicative bids by September 23rd. According […]

Canal+ has applied for an urgent hearing at the Tribunal de Commerce de Nanterre (Nanterre Commercial Court) citing TF1 for monopolistic practices. This appears, in part, to be retaliation to TF1´s own complaint against Canal+ after it suspended the broadcast of its five FTA DTT channels on TNT Sat, the free of charge dish service […]

French commercial broadcaster TF1 is set to file a complaint against Canal+ after the operator dropped the broadcast of its FTA channels (TF1, TMC, TFX, TF1 Séries Films et LCI), as part a commercial dispute. “We’re not going to lose our audience and leave our viewers without any possibility of watching our channels without replying,” […]

France’s Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique (the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority) Arcom hasgiven its approval to the plans for the takeover by the company Groupe News Participations, a subsidiary of the Altice group, of the companies TFX and M6 Génération. These decisions follow the one issued by the Competition […]