Advanced Television

TF1 loses 12% of average audience

March 8, 2018

From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

Five days after Canal+ ended the retransmission of TF1’s free DTT channels on its platform, the viewership of the commercial broadcaster has continuously decreased.

On March 6th, the TF1 daytime audience fell by 1.7 points compared to the previous week, while the average audience dropped 186,000 viewers, BFM Business analyses. Daily soap Demain nous appartient registered weak scores, while the 8.00 news bulletin was passed by France 2’s, and prime time comedy Les Visiteurs attracted only 13 per cent of the audience. Across the whole day, TF1 was watched by 16.9 per cent of viewers, closely followed by France 2 at 14.3 per cent. Over the preceding week, TF1’s average audience decreased by 12.3 per cent and the cumulative audience by 11.4 per cent.

The overall decrease is however offset by an explosion of the figures on replay and mobile service MyTF1, TF1 explains, which is not measured by ratings firm Mediamétrie.

Canal+’s action cut the signal to 5.5 million homes, representing 15 to 20 per cent of TF1 audience. TF1 argues that Canal+ represents less than 5 per cent of its audience.

Although service to TNT Sat viewers has been restored following regulatory intervention, an equal threat is coming from Orange and Free, who are also refusing to agree to the retransmission fees requested by TF1. Telecom regulatory body Arcep says TF1 FTA channels “must remain free of charge” but also that TF1’s “alarm cry must be heard” and help pave the way to “reinvent the audiovisual landscape and its regulation.”

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Business, Consumer Behaviour, DTH/Satellite, FTA, Policy, Regulation, Research