French Broadcasters Urged to Unite Against Streaming Challenge

(Bloomberg) --

Television operators in France and Europe must merge or forge alliances to tackle rising competition from streaming platforms such as Netflix Inc., Nicolas de Tavernost, chairman of the executive board of M6 Metropole Television said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

Cooperation among large television broadcasters are the topic of the next five years, and a change in French and European regulations is needed for that, Tavernost told the French weekly newspaper. Regulators are “particularly strict” in their supervision of the creation of an on-demand video service launched by M6 and French rivals, he said.

There is currently no plan for a tie-up between M6 and French rival Television Francaise 1 SA, the executive told JDD. However, alliances among domestic groups are necessary if France wants to withstand international competition, he said.

In recent weeks, advertising spending on televisions and radios has improved after plunging during the coronavirus crisis, Tavernost told the newspaper. M6 has “good prospects” if the crisis doesn’t worsen, he said.

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