Nicolas de Tavernost, boss of the M6 group, September 4, 2018 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris (AFP / Christophe ARCHAMBAULT)
Thunderclap in the world of media: Nicolas de Tavernost will leave the M6 group in April, which he helped to found 37 years ago, to make way for a new generation.
His departure, at age 73, comes earlier than expected: the emblematic boss of M6 had initially planned to stay in office until August 2025.
After the proposed marriage with TF1, which did not come to fruition, “the shareholders asked me to extend my mandate”, he said in Le Figaro, which first announced the news.
“With this now behind us, and after having clarified our strategy on streaming, I considered that the current conditions made it possible, given the good performance of the group, to move on to the succession stage,” continues the manager .
He summed up his departure with a short video on X where we see someone pressing the remote control to turn off the television.
Because his departure marks the end of an era, that of “the little channel that is rising”, which has become an important media group including, in addition to M6, the stations RTL, RTL 2, Fun Radio, and the channels W9, Teva, Paris Première or Gulli… And synonymous with successful shows like “Top chef”, “Pékin express” and “L’amour est dans le pré”.
“A page is turning,” said Maxime Saada, the boss of Canal+, on X. “I will miss your intelligence, your witty words, your relentless humor, your rants and your sectoral vision.”
“I learned with emotion and disbelief the announcement of the departure of Nicolas de Tavernost from the helm of the M6 group”, reacted Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of TF1, saluting the one who was “for almost 40 years the best competitor, relentless, agile and flamboyant, from the TF1 group”.
Nicolas de Tavernost, boss of the M6 group, during a press conference, September 5, 2017 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris (AFP / Martin BUREAU)
At the head of the France Télévisions group, Delphine Ernotte also confided her “admiration” for the strong man of M6, in a press release.
Known for his stormy character and messy hair, Nicolas de Tavernost began his career in the media by becoming deputy director of Métropole Télévision (M6) in 1987, after leading the project to create the channel within Lyonnaise des Waters.
Replacing Jean Drucker as chairman of the board of M6 in 2000, he tirelessly defended the interests of a channel that was initially predominantly musical, then became generalist, then a media group.
– AGM on April 23 –
He will officially leave office on April 23, during a general meeting which should ratify the appointment of his successor: David Larramendy, 49 years old.
The current manager of M6 Publicité, who has been with the company for 16 years, is “a talented professional with strong experience in management and excellent results in advertising management”, in the words of Mr. de Tavernost, in his interview at Figaro.
The headquarters of the M6 group in Neuilly-sur-Seine, November 27, 2017 near Paris (AFP / Martin BUREAU)
Its mission will be in particular to develop streaming with a new platform called M6+, which will be unveiled at the beginning of March and should replace the current 6Play.
“Our objectives are clear: at least double consumption on the platform with 1 billion hours consumed and triple streaming revenues to reach 200 million euros by 2028,” underlines Mr. de Tavernost, in Le Figaro.
The group can rely on solid results, with a strong increase in its net profit and a slight decline in its turnover in 2023, after the shutdown of the Salto streaming platform, which had weighed on 2022. intends to invest “up to 100 million euros” in streaming over the next four years and launch a new free platform, M6+.
This year, the group saw the TNT frequency of its main channel renewed for a period of ten years after the candidacy of Xavier Niel, head of the Iliad group, had been rejected.
The year 2024 will rhyme for M6 with the Euro football: the channel will be, with TF1, official broadcaster of the competition, from June.