Advanced Television

TF1

M6, Altice discuss 6ter sale

French commercial broadcaster M6 Group has confirmed that it has received a put option for the 6ter channel from Altice Media, and that it has granted it exclusive negotiation rights. The sale of 6ter would be part of the proposed merger of the M6 and TF1 Groups, announced on May 17th, 2021. Following this merger, […]

March 1, 2022By Colin Mann

TF1 net profit up four-fold

Ahead of the potential TF1-M6 merger, French commercial broadcaster TF1 has multiplied its 2021 net profit by four compared to the 2020 pandemic year to €225.3 million versus €78.1 million, and achieving 45 per cent growth compared to 2019. The group posted consolidated revenue up 16.6 per cent year-on-year to €2.427 billion, and increasing by […]

February 11, 2022From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

TF1 channels now on Molotov pay

French OTT platform Molotov has revealed that TF1’s FTA channels will no longer be distributed via its free-of-charge service. TF1, TF1 Séries Films, TMC, TFX, as well as catch-up content will instead move onto its paid offering. In addition, Molotov will also cease distributing TF1’s pay-TV channels TV Breizh, Ushuaïa and Histoire TV. The situation […]

February 8, 2022From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

TF1/M6 merger under threat?

A report in French newspaper Le Figaro quotes the nation’s Association of Advertisers (UDM) saying that they do not see TV advertising and digital advertising as substitutable. This is perceived as a negative for the proposed merger between French commercial TV broadcaster TF1 and smaller rival M6. A note from investment bank Exane/BNPP says that […]

January 25, 2022By Chris Forrester

Survey: ITV, Eutelsat are takeover targets

Bloomberg, in what investment bank Exane/BNPP describes as an “informal survey”, has suggested that Eutelsat and ITV are “most likely takeover” candidates. The bank suggests that ITV has been in the Bloomberg poll fairly frequently over the past ten years. Other companies named as possible takeover targets include KPN, Telecom Italia, Invit, Nokia, ProSiebenSat. 1 […]

January 18, 2022By Chris Forrester

Bids open for TF1/M6 DTT nets

The upcoming TF1-M6 merger entails the disposal of a number of FTA DTT networks. According to reports, the sale of kids’ service Gulli and 6ter and of entertainment channels TFX and TF1 Séries Films have been attracting bids of between €30 million and €150 million. TF1 Séries Films would be auctioned at €30 million, TFX […]

January 14, 2022From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

Bobin appointed to HBO Max France development role

WarnerMedia International has appointed Clémentine Bobin as Senior Creative Executive, working across development and creative production for Max Originals commissioned and produced in France, which will stream on HBO Max, the company’s direct-to-consumer video streaming platform. Bobin joins Vera Peltekian, who in October 2021 was appointed VP and Commissioning Editor of Original Production France, WarnerMedia […]

January 13, 2022

Beyond Rights sails into 2022 with Costa Concordia doc deals

In the week that commemorates ten years since one of the worst maritime disasters in living memory, Beyond Rights announces that it has licensed ITN Productions’ two-hour investigative documentary, The Costa Concordia: Why She Sank, to several international broadcasters. In Europe, initial deals have been struck with TF1 in France, Discovery in Italy, TV2 in […]

January 11, 2022

Salto: ‘Fewer than 300,000 subs’

French SVoD service Salto has marked its first anniversary substantially below its objective of one million subscribers in year one and is well below subscription numbers of rival services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, according to reports. Launched in October 2020 by groups TF1, M6 and France Télévisions, the joint-venture, which has […]

January 6, 2022From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

France: Media regulator Arcom launches  

Born out of a merger between TV regulatory body the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) and online anti-piracy authority Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des œuvres et la protection des droits sur internet (Hadopi), the new French media regulator Arcom came into being on January 1st. The new watchdog is overseen by Roch-Olivier Maistre, former […]

January 5, 2022From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris