The merger project between the two channels dated from May 2021 but will not ultimately see the light of day: this is explained by a joint press release to TF1 and M6, this September 16, 2022.
The wedding will therefore not take place between TF1 and M6 : the channels announced in a joint press release that they would not merge as had been envisaged since May 2021. The reasons given are more technical than it seems and above all reflect a common regret at not being able to carry out this project at the end.
An unfavorable opinion from the Competition Authority in July regretted by the chains
The idea seemed attractive but did not convince the Competition Authority, which issued an unfavorable opinion on this merger project last June, what jointly deplore M6 and TF1, as they indicated in their press release. “The parties deplore that the Competition Authority did not take into account the scale and speed of the changes in the French audiovisual sector. the two channels lament in their press release, “They remain convinced that the merger of the TF1 and M6 groups would have been an appropriate response to the challenges arising from the accelerated competition with international platforms”.
For its part, the Competition Authority has taken “note of the announcement made today by Bouygues to withdraw its plan to acquire exclusive control of the Métropole Télévision group” as she has announced immediately on its site, concluding that “This decision puts an end to the procedure initiated before the Autorité.”
TF1-M6: “the project no longer presented any industrial logic”
The opinion of the Autorité de la concurrence and the concessions demanded by the institution therefore got the better of the ambitions of the families. M6 and TF1. “Bouygues, RTL Group, TF1 and the M6 group are today putting an end to the proposed merger of the TF1 and M6 groups, because only structural remedies concerning at least the sale of the TF1 channel or the M6 channel would be such as to allow the authorization of the operation “ which led them to conclude “that the project no longer presented any industrial logic.” It is therefore far from being their will to give up creating this famous “French audiovisual champion” but on the contrary a decision of reason. The two channels had also specified after the publication of the opinion of the Authority, that they “would not hesitate to stop” if the concessions claimed were too large and made the union “less relevant.”
Already on Thursday July 28, the CEO of TF1, Gilles Pelisson, had feared that this “dream” would turn ” nightmare “, after a first report from the Competition Authority unfavorable to the project, as reported by the Huffington Post. “The dream we shared (of a French audiovisual champion) is not necessarily shared at this stage by the analysis of the (investigation) services of the Competition Authority” explained the leader, “From there, before the dream becomes a nightmare, there needs to be a moment of reason, of waking up, thinking maybe my dream will end there.” The alarm clock has just rung.
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