France Télévisions reveals Autumn line-up as focus shifts to brand rather than channels

Coeur Noirs

France Télévisions has outlined plans to develop its sports, young adult (YA), drama and entertainment offerings – including launching an original adventure gameshow – as it looks to build the broadcaster’s brand among younger audiences, rather than focusing on a single channel.

The French group’s president, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, said the broadcaster is preparing for 2030 when she believes TV will be entirely digital and applicative, with sports and YA content being developed.

It is also further diversifying its drama slate and launching entertainment content, with an original adventure gameshow in the works, as it looks to build digital brand France.tv, rather than focusing on the individual channels.

Joan Of Arc

“When you look at today’s TV sets that are being sold, they are all smart TVs and it is very difficult to find linear channels on them as all they highlight is apps,” she illustrated.

“It is via the France.tv app that people will be able to find and access linear channels in the future as well as our various services. We are today in an hyper-competitive world and in hyper-choice, one needs to simplify.”

Tripling down on YA

With that purpose in mind, attracting young audiences is the priority and the group plans to triple efforts and investments towards by 2030.

New shows launching include two daily shows: a newscast aimed at ages 12-18 available via YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Franceinfo; and, in scripted shortform, a daily soap titled Déter, produced for YA digital platform France TV Slash.

The movie offering has also been growing while sports are being bolstered as well. In addition to events such as cycling’s Tour de France, tennis competition Roland Garros and the Rugby World Cup, France TV has picked up FIFA Women’s World Cup football rights together with M6, and has major plans around the coverage of the Olympic Games, which take place in Paris next summer, with related shows building up to the event.

The pubcaster also intends to embrace the various metamorphosis currently underway, Ernotte said, with news programming remaining a major focus as the pubcaster battles against the ongoing struggles of disinformation and the potential impacts of AI developments.

More docs & entertainment

France 3 will be increasing its regional focus, while a major change in September will see long-running flagship 12:00-13:00 and 19:00-20:00 national and regional newscasts becoming regional only. The project has proven controversial among unions, which are concerned that it will ultimately mean lower budgets, something Ernotte said she would be happy to discuss.

The broadcaster again expressed its support for documentaries after worries from producers that it wants to go for lighter forms of magazine style shows.

Inflitré(e)

Channels and content director, Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez, announced that France 2’s monthly Tuesday documentary strand will become weekly, with some major docs set to deliver including one on Joan of d’Arc. However, there are not yet enough shows to fill a weekly strand yet, meaning the implementation remains a longer term plan.

On the entertainment front, and in the spirit of the upcoming Olympic Games, France 2 will be giving a chance to a new major original adventure gameshow primetime format called L’Anneau (The Ring) from 2P2L and French TV.

There will also be a few other original creations, with classical music talent show Prodiges, which will have a spin-off, Prodiges Pop, and renowned radio gameshow La Jeu Des 1000 Euros will be adapted as a daytime weekly on France 3.

Format adaptations are fewer than last year, although the group unviled the adaptation by Satisfaction of a Talpa’s The Floor, to be known as A La Conquête du Sol.

Budgets & drama

Ernotte also reminded audiences that a majority of the group’s content spending – €500m ($560m) out of roughly €900m – is dedicated to drama, documentaries and animation. The upcoming budget has not yet been announced by the French government, but the broadcaster’s president appeared confident about it.

Concordia

Drama, meanwhile, remains among its best-rated fare, with flagship launches including suspense drama Inflitré(e), starring Audrey Fleurot, who found success on rival TF1 with HPI and “is coming back to France TV,” the pubcaster pointed out.

France TV also responded to criticisms that its drama slate is too focused on crime, highlighting that its fall-line up is quite diversified and that current goals are to diversify scripted fare further with comedy-drama.

Next fall will also have new copros launching, including shows from the Alliance: Concordia deals with AI and In Her Car has been inspired by Ukrainian stories, with Nordic quartet NRK, YLE, RUV and DR also attached.

There is also a first action series with Coeur Noirs, a co-venture with Amazon Prime Video. More scripted plans will be revealed in September at the La Rochelle festival.

Ernotte also addressed criticism from private channels, which have blamed France Télévisions for becoming too commercially driven. “Let’s make up,” she said, “[with digital competition] we are stronger together and we have been through so much together already,” referring to the now defunct joint venture streamer Salto.

Indeed, there is much at stake for priavtely owned channels: France TV’s future is currently under scrutiny at parliament and one question being asked is whether its advertising-related funding should be reduced further. Another option, which was not supported by the French culture minister, is to have France TV merge with Radio France, with whom it is already driving synergies. Ernotte said she is not personally against the idea.