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World Television Overview: France |
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| Main Channels | History, Recent Developments, Important Considerations | Audience Market Share | ||
| Arte Canal+ France 2
LCI
(TVF1) 13ème
Rue AB1 Bloomberg
TV Canal
Canal
J (TVF1) Canal
Jimmy Canal
Satellite Canal+
Horizons Forum Planète Fox
Kids Fun TV M6 Métropole TV Mezzo MTV Paris
Première (TVF1) RTL
9 RFO
SAT TV5
(TVF1) Télémélody Téva Trace TV VH1 Voyage
(TVF1)
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France (population 60,000,000) French TV is
largely analogue, with 7 networks on 6 channels currently in existence.
Until the 1980s only 3 networks existed; of these, Local analogue services have suffered setbacks due to cable and production issues (e.g. Toulouse, Lyon, Alpes), but Clerment-Ferrand (see EAC above) and Bordeaux are rising from the ashes. Cable is not well-supported in France 2, France 3 and France 5 are
all from the same stable, France Télévision.
ARTE remains franco-German, despite attempts
to add it to the stable at the dawn of the new millennium. France
Télevision is behind TPS, the bouquet satellite,
and RFO covers activities outre-hexagone. Internationally, TF-1 is the main private sector player,
with LCI providing news 24/7 and M6 (which relies upon what has been
dubbed 'time-shift' programming) following. M6 is actually run by
the RTL group (an affiliate of Bertelsmann) and Suez-Lyonnaise,
which is linked to cable TV via Noos. Canal+,
which is carried by Canal Satéllite, is
part of the Vivendi Universal group. It is represented internationally
in In the thematic market, Hachette (Lagardère) and AB (RTL-9) are transmitted via Canal Satéllite. Historically, public TV was perceived as the protector of the Republic, its principles and ideals and above all the guaranteed survival of French culture across the French-speaking world. This is still the case, although less so with recent insurgent globalising factors, such as reality TV. Differences in definition and colour
standards have been used previously to throw up a protectionist wall
against renegade foreign imports, and until the emergence of pay channel
Canal Plus in the early '80s, there was no commercial TV. Even here,
a remit to reinvest in French Culture through le cinéma
français was present, and Mittérand
only allowed music channel TV6 to emerge as a French riposte to MTV.
Le 5 was set up essentially to support TV6 financially through entertainment
programming, and as a further soap box from which Mittérand
could preach across the biased reporting of news items. La 7 emerged
in 1976 to counter Berlusconi's Italian-flavoured approach to running
Le 5, and its heavily cultural and Euro-friendly remit gave rise to
Arte, the Franco-German channel, after a 7pm total-francophone watershed. Le 5
died of intransigence on commercial issues in the early '90s, and
TV6 was subsequently Americanised, under
the new name of M6. MCM was set up as a French music alternative,
and is today more popular in Broadcasting is now regulated by the
Conseil Supérieur
Audiovisuel (CSA). Télévision
sans frontiers is a transparently French concept, and eSCape
tv's Euro-friendly package is arguably tailor-made
to fit in with
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TF-1 33.4% France-2 22.1% France-3 16.8% M6 12.7% Canal+ 7.5% Cinquième/ARTE 3.4% |
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