One and a half after saying no, the Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA) said yes this time: it approved on Thursday the move to free LCI, the news channel of the TF1 Group, on the TNT. It nevertheless dismissed the claims of Paris Première (M6) and Planète + (Canal +).
This time, the CSA “ found that the chain had no future Economic in the world of pay-TV and its free access contribute to pluralism and the public interest , “he wrote in a statement . In July 2014, the bell sound was quite different: after several months of a fierce campaign whose main argument was “free or Death”, TF1 had dismissed his application on behalf of the equilibria of advertising time
Read also: At CSA, free LCI has not paid
Faced with TF1 was busy indeed Alain Weill, CEO NextRadio TV, owner of BFM TV, the small chain information which has continued to rise, becoming by far the first of its kind. A social argument of TF1, he replied that BFM TV, living from advertising, would not support a new competitor. And if A had come to lay the hundred LCI employees, it would take third under his wing. At the time, the CSA considered, on the basis of an impact study, that “ no significant market recovery [advertising] is planned shortly .”
In September, TF1 announced a socially 148 people in total (employees LCI more employees dedicated to TF1 channel), then suspended in October just days after the State Council had rejected a referred against the decision of the CSA. And on June 17 of this year, bombshell: the Council of State overturned, this time on the bottom, the CSA’s decision, arguing that the Council had sinned in its proceedings. Back to square one: a new decision should be taken within six months. Thursday was therefore the ultimate limit.
TV NextRadio seeks remedies
What has changed in the meantime? Above all, the situation of BFM TV, which made a net profit of EUR 17 million in 2014. In July, Patrick Drahi (owner via its Altice Group Media Libération ) concluded an agreement NextRadio with TV to take control of 49% of the chain, valuing it at 670 million euros. But Alain Weill does not let anything: once the decision of known CSA, he whipped out a press release to denounce a choice “ contrary to the jurisprudence ” of the CSA, which had dismissed TF1 twice (in So in 2014 but also in 2011).
Having agitated in turn, in recent weeks, the threat of job cuts (one hundred), Alain Weill announced in passing that he will use all remedies possible, and that it will present early next year “ the measures that will be required in terms of organization of jobs .”
Another change to come in the landscape of information channels: the project of a common channel between Radio France and France Télévisions was formalized by both parties in September, with the intention to carry it out by fall 2016. In total The French are therefore left with four news channels continuously instead of two.
Meanwhile, TF1 is committed to focus on the analysis (no more than 30% of air time for newscasts) and not to propose any advertising or coupling cross promotions with TF1 and other Group channels on DTT (TMC, NT1 and HD1) for two years. And it seems that the mobilization of employees has moved the CSA: “ I was sensitive to the distress of the LCI teams,” said on Thursday the president of the Council, Olivier Schrameck in C to you on France 5.
Paris Première “endangerment”
As for Paris Première and Planète +, the CSA reasons for its refusal succinctly: “ Their specific situations [...] did not warrant, as is, to deviate from the general requirement of an open application .”
France 5, Olivier Schrameck said that Paris Première is not, in the eyes of the CFS, “ facing economic peril .” Pay DTT “ is an extremely small percentage of its distribution ,” he said, recalling that it is essentially broadcast on cable, satellite and ADSL.
In a statement, the M6 group, believing his chain “ jeopardized ” announced that he would form an appeal before the State Council, without specifying on what basis.
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