Advanced Television

France: Arcom creates DTT block for news channels

January 14, 2025

French media regulator Arcom has adopted a new numbering of national television channels broadcast on digital terrestrial television (DTT), in particular to take into account the upcoming arrival of the new CMI TV and OFTV services, authorised on December 11th, and the decision of Canal+ to stop its broadcast on TNT.

Arcom has ensured the implementation of new numbering which it says ensures better readability of the DTT offer in the public interest, in accordance with the provisions of article 3-1 of the law of September 30th 1986, and which limits changes in viewers’ habits as much as possible.

Arcom has additionally decided to create a block bringing together continuous news channels, so that viewers have simplified access to a pluralistic offer of information. The relative order of these strings within the current numbering is maintained. The logical numbers 13, 14, 15 and 16 are thus assigned respectively to BFMTV, CNEWS, LCI and Franceinfo.

The creation of this block made it necessary to move France 4, to which the number 4 is assigned, so that France 2, France 3, France 4 and France 5 follow each other in a logical manner. Numbers 8 and 12, made vacant on February 28th 2025 when the authorisations of the services which currently broadcast their programmes on these numbers expire, are reallocated as follows:

The number 8 is assigned to the La Chaîne Parlementaire service (consisting of the programmes of La Chaîne Parlementaire – National Assembly and La Chaîne Parlementaire – Public Sénate), whose current number is reused by the block of channels devoted to information. The service is therefore placed just after the Arte service since these services offer similar programming that complements each other. The Gulli service, targeting young people, is assigned the number 12, after the TFX service which also partly targets a young audience. This attribution gives the service better visibility among this audience. Numbers 18 and 19, both vacant, were assigned, after drawing lots, to CMI TV, for number 18 and OFTV, for number 19.

This numbering will be implemented in one go as soon as the broadcast of Canal+ on TNT stops on June 6th 2025. Thus, as permitted by its authorisation, the broadcast of CMI TV will begin on the same day. Regarding OFTV, to which the number 19 has been assigned, its broadcast will begin on September 1st 2025, in accordance with its authorisation.

TF1 group has welcomed the decision that French media regulator Arcom is setting aside a block of channels to house all France’s rolling news channels.

Rodolphe Belmer, TF1 group Chairman & CEO, says: “I welcome Arcom’s announcement of the new DTT channel numbering system. It’s fair from every point of view, safeguards the public interest, and ensures all broadcasters are treated equally. Above all, it brings all four of France’s news channels into a single block, to the benefit of our fellow-citizens – and of news pluralism. Congratulations to Thierry Thuillier, and to Guillaume Debré and his colleagues; this decision is a vote of confidence in the quality of their journalism, and in their contribution to the public interest.”

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTT/DSO

Tags: , , , ,