Renewal of TF1 and M6 frequencies: Xavier Niel officially candidate

Xavier Niel once again shows his interest in television. The businessman, owner of the Iliad (Free) telecoms group and individual shareholder of the Worldhas applied for the takeover of a DTT frequency as part of the renewal of those of TF1 and M6, according to a statement of the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) published Monday, January 23.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Television: Xavier Niel’s ambitions shake up M6

Three files have been submitted for the takeover of these channels: those of TF1 and M6, historical holders of the existing frequencies, and that of a company owned by Mr. Niel, whose project called ” SIX “ shows that it is aiming for the current frequency of M6. The authorizations for the TF1 and M6 channels for their broadcast on DTT expire on May 5th. The hearings of the three candidates by Arcom will take place on February 15 and will last an hour and a half each.

First call for applications since 1987

With this candidacy, submitted via his company NJJ Projet 5523, Xavier Niel, eighth fortune in France according to the magazine’s ranking Forbes, once again shows his interest in television. He had already tried to buy RTL’s stake in the M6 ​​group twice: in May 2021, then in October 2022 after the failure of the merger project between TF1 and M6.

Last fall, Mr. Niel had indeed made a takeover offer in tandem with the Berlusconi family (MediaForEurope group). The owner of M6, the German media giant Bertelsmann, had finally chosen to keep the group in its fold. Launched in December by Arcom, this call for candidates for the renewal of these frequencies is the first since 1987, the year of the privatization of TF1 and the arrival of M6 on the sixth hertzian network.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Businessman Xavier Niel takes a step closer to television

The World with AFP

source site-30