Arcom clears Altice TF1/M6 channels deal
September 5, 2022
By Colin Mann
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 Authority on July 15th on the same projects.
These are part of the plan to take exclusive control by Bouygues of a new entity which would bring together, through a merger operation, the activities of the TF1 and Métropole Télévision groups. The two approvals were without prejudice to future decisions that will have to be adopted by the Autorité de la concurrence (Competition Authority) as well as by Arcom in respect of the intended merger between the TF1 and M6 groups.
Prior to these two approval decisions, Arcom published, on July 13th, 2022, the impact studies relating to each of these operations. On August 3rd, 2022, it made public the letter of commitments from the Altice group. Finally, it publicly heard the claimants and interested third parties, and took into account the written contributions sent to it.
As soon as the modification of the control of the companies TFX and M6 Génération becomes effective, amendments to the agreements applicable to TFX and 6ter would be concluded in order to take into account the change in the distribution of the share capital of the two companies as well as the commitments in terms of programming and contribution to the financing of creation taken by the Altice group.