The 2017 revenues of 81 French pay-TV channels dropped by 2 per cent over one year to €2.85 billion, following a 1 per cent decrease the previous year.

According to the financial round-up established by French regulatory body CSA, which takes into account the global results from three DTT channels and 78 cable, dish and IPTV networks whose revenues exceed €400,000, the breakdown shows 87 per cent of the revenues come from distribution while ad revenues account for 5 per cent.

The CSA finds that the addition of the operating incomes of French pay-TV net remained negative at -€75.6 million in 2017, though the proportion was reduced by half compared to the record-breaking year of 2016.

The study also shows on the one hand a €160 million or 9 per cent fall of the revenues from Canal+’s channels (€ 1.5 4 billion in 2017 vs €1.70 billion in 2016), and on the other hand a 9 per cent increase of the revenues accumulated by other pay-TV services to €1.31 billion, which includes a strong rise from beIN Sports nets.

Discounting Canal+ thematic channels, whose revenues account for 54 per cent of the global pay-TV revenues, the French pay-TV market appears to be dominated by beIN Sports and Orange’s four OCS channels, whose total revenues were €95.5 million in 2017. NextRadioTV/Altice channels amassed €65.1 million revenue in 2017, a 57 per cent rise compared to 2016.

The CSA reports the pay TV sector is very much concentrated in France: almost half of the global revenues are driven by three groups of channels: beIN Sports, OCS and Ciné+.

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