The free-to-air television market is a market made up of 24 national free channels broadcast on DTT which achieved a turnover of 5.61 billion euros. The 2022 turnover shows a decline of 93.1 million euros compared to 2021 which affects both private channels (-52.4 million euros) and public channels (-40.7 million euros).
Over a longer period, ARCOM mentions that since the launch of DTT in 2006, the turnover of all channels has increased by 15%, or 718 million euros, that of private channels by 18% ( +423 million euros), while that of France Télévisions has suffered fluctuations due to the drop in State funding. We note that over the years, the turnover of public and private channels remains close, to the point of being identical in 2022, at 2.8 billion euros.
The advertising turnover of free channels amounts to 2.96 billion euros in 2022, and is 89% generated by private channels (i.e. 2.63 billion euros, down 2% compared to to 2021 but up 1% compared to 2019, the reference year before the 2020 health crisis). Since 2006, the advertising turnover of free channels has decreased by 4% (-137 million euros).
Concerning France Télévisions’ advertising revenues (while its turnover is made up of 80% of State grants), they were halved over the period (-435 million euros), due to the ban since January 2009, on broadcasting advertising messages (excluding sponsorships and messages of general interest, generic or associative) on the group’s channels from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
At the same time, the commercial revenues of private channels increased overall by 13%, an increase attributable to the free DTT channels launched in 2006 and then in 2012, the historic private channels, TF1 and M6, showing a drop of 23% in their advertising revenues on the period (-518 million euros).
ARCOM also indicates that the operating results of private channels fell until 2016 (-82 million euros) to rise in the following years until 2022 to settle at 214 million euros, a sign of the good health of the chains as a whole.
For its part, France Télévisions has never generated a positive operating result over the period.
ARCOM also establishes the results of the large groups of free channels which can be summarized as follows:
- Constant decline in turnover of France Télévisions;
- Decrease in turnover for 3 channels for the TF1 group (TMC, TFX and TF1 Séries Films) and increase for two channels (TF1 and LCI);
- Good profitability of the M6 group’s free channels (M6, W9, 6ter, Gulli) despite declining audiences and turnover;
- Advertising revenue generally stable for the three free channels of the Canal+ group (C8, CNews, C Star);
- For the first time, Alice Media’s free channels are all beneficiaries (RMC Story, RMC Découverte, BFM TV);
- Rising turnover (NRJ12, Chérie 25) but still negative results for the NRJ group channels.