France TV: the challenges of the new captain – Les Echos

Digital, merging of newsrooms France 2 and France 3, France 3 identity among the major projects to come for France Télévisions.

Young, digital, daring, France 3, the French fiction … On the desktop Delphine Ernotte, the new head of French public television, records – more or less hot – accumulate.

In theory, already open is not an easy task. In practice, it will be even worse. For the president of France Télévisions will have with teams concerned, and especially with a contraction of its financial means, at least until 2017. The outgoing leadership, who said he dropped the charges of the group of 300 million euros year from the original 2011-2015 contract with the State, Judge complicated, if not impossible, to make more money – “except to rethink the scope of activity” , blew mid-April Fabrice Lacroix, the current CFO, the “echoes”. Or limitations on advertising …

The “beginner’s luck”, if one may say, is that the government has promised, following the Schwartz report, go a “logic of guardianship to a shareholder logic” . Clearly, the government is committed unless interfere in the internal life of the company and programs. And not to change constantly its financial commitments – or requirements – one of the great dramas of France Télévisions

In this context, Delphine Ernotte will have fine play on both. tables equally complex. Internally, it will continue the reform of the company, in serenity – if possible. Since his arrival, Rémy Pflimlin has worked at the site of the merger of newsrooms of France 2 and France 3. It is already committed, but it will finalize negotiations with unions – knowing that the CGT is to reapply the withdrawal of the project .

France 3, nerve

Specifically, France 3 is the nerve. With 3,550 employees, the chain is at the heart of public service provided by France Télévisions, with its dimension “territories”, as they say badly in Paris. However, the report pointed to the Schwartz, chain inconsistency between its national network and its regional stalls and deserves an update of its programs.

Externally, the president will face “entourage” of France Télévisions: the small world of audiovisual production and various state guardianship. To summarize briefly, each request France Télévisions to be more daring and innovative in its programming, especially in fiction. And some, but not all, think more youth.

In fact, the average age of the audience for France 2 and France 3 approaches the sixties. In this respect, digital has a nice role in the rejuvenation of the hearing.

The group spent € 78 million in 2014 to its platforms (Pluzz, France TV Info, Culturebox …) who reported that 23 million. Indeed, France Télévisions can not possibly do without these two issues. In fact, the group’s audience share dropped to 28.8% in 2014, against 35% in 2008 against 22.9% for TF1. Blame Competition (DTT), but especially new screens. Today television is part of a whole media far beyond the small screen. A France Télévisions to adapt and lead the way.