In commercial conflict since September, TF1 and Canal+ announced on Friday evening November 4 that they had signed a “new distribution agreement”while the Vivendi subsidiary had stopped broadcasting the TF1 group’s channels on all its distribution channels, for lack of a financial agreement.
“The TF1 group and the Canal+ group are pleased to have reached a long-term agreement which renews, from Monday November 7, 2022, the distribution of all the DTT channels of the TF1 group as well as their catch-up services”, the two groups said in a joint statement. Financial details of this agreement were not disclosed.
The cessation of broadcasting of its channels by Canal+ was detrimental to the audiences of the TF1 group. In October, all of its five channels (TF1, TMC, TFX, TF1 Séries Films, LCI) saw its audience share fall to 25.6%, against 27.7% a year earlier, according to Médiamétrie.
For two months, the two groups rejected responsibility for a conflict brought to court: Canal+ had assured that TF1 was too greedy in the renegotiation of the contract, concluded at the end of 2018 after a similar conflict, while TF1 had affirmed that it was his rival who had not wished to come to an agreement.
A case brought to court
At the end of October, the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed that Canal+ was not obliged to restore the broadcasting of the TF1 group’s channels on its TNT Sat satellite offer, validating a decision handed down at first instance on September 22 by the commercial court. from Paris.
In court, the TF1 group specifically demanded the resumption of broadcasting of its five free channels on TNT Sat for a period of four months, satellite being the only way for some households to receive television in isolated areas not served by the TNT (mainly in the mountains).
At first instance and on appeal, the courts rejected TF1’s request. She noted in particular that the law did not require Canal to distribute the TF1 signal on TNT Sat, as the media regulator, Arcom, had recognized.
During the hearing before the commercial court on September 13, TF1’s lawyer had slipped that the amount of the TF1 Premium contract (live broadcast of channels and ancillary services such as replay) was “13 million euros per year”.
In a separate proceeding, Canal+ brought proceedings against TF1 before the Nanterre commercial court.