Shift comes amid funding uncertainty for French public broadcaster, with €80m already cut from 2026/27 season
France Télévisions has unveiled details of its first fall line-up as a “streaming-first” organisation, following its restructuring earlier this year.
The group presented flagship shows for its new divisions that are now organised by mission rather than by genre, under content, channels and platform director Stéphane Sitbon-Gómez, who reports to president Delphine Ernotte Cunci.
Under this strategy, the group aims to prioritise its streaming platform by premiering shows on france.tv. To reach audiences where they are, France Télévisions will continue to develop digital partnerships, such as its recent deal with YouTube to make 20,000 hours of news content available.
The broadcaster is also looking to “move from a logic of scheduling to one of narrative”, explained Laurent-Eric Le Lay, editorial director for sports and events. This means, for instance, accompanying major events with related documentaries, short-form and digital content.
In addition to sports and special events, his division will also launch shows that “create an event”, spark conversation and bring audiences together. This includes music and entertainment formats led by Alexandra Redde-Amiel, such as Fremantle’s French adaptation of Love Productions’ amateur competition The Piano, and Le Floor Musical, a music spin-off of Talpa’s well-rated The Floor, produced by Satisfaction.
Scripted strategy
French drama remains central, now sitting within the Creation division alongside performing arts, and falling under the leadership of Anne Holmes.
Manuel Alduy’s international drama and cinema unit remains but rather than volume, he will be targeting standout international acquisitions that align with public service remits, such as July launch The Best Immigrant, a series that raises questions, is sometimes divisive, but ultimately feeds democratic debate, he said.
Alduy also pointed to Sky Studios’ Mussolini drama M. Son of the Century, while on the co-production front, upcoming high-profile shows include Federation’s Lucky Luke, also backed by Disney+ and aimed at family audiences, alongside UGC’s action mini-series Stunts, part of a genre series effort.
The pubcaster also remains in the market for “cosy crime” procedurals, picking up CBC’s Saint-Pierre as well as Bad Wolf’s British thriller Red Eye.
Keeping pace with streaming habits, the Knowledge division - led by Antonio Grigolini - is ramping up docuseries and digital partnerships, including a new deal with history YouTuber Nota Bene, who claims 2m subscribers.
Targeting under-30s, Tiphaine de Raguenel’s Young Audiences unit is poised for the most significant digital innovation, pushing into short-form vertical drama and commissioning webtoons for france.tv. The division’s marquee announcement is its first live-action romance drama, adapting Morgane Moncomble’s best-seller Aime-Moi Je Te Fuis.
Slash, which targets 18 to 30-year-olds, “will be leaning on IPs more, as well as on large fandom communities” said De Raguenel, while children’s brand Okoo (ages 4-12) will increase its focus on edutainment, such as tech-driven gameshow Code Déblok.
The Daily Life division, which houses daytime programming and is meant to act as a “companion media”, will feature testimonials, advice, lifestyle, leisure and gameshows.
The shift in strategy must be delivered on a reduced budget, however, and France Télévisions is currently operating in the dark regarding its 2027 funding, knowing only that it faces further cuts. Following a controversial parliamentary inquiry earlier this year, it was also reported that the broadcaster was asked by the government to submit more drastic savings scenarios, details of which remain scant.
“The Minister of Culture said we will have our objectives and [that] means [we may need to] contract quickly, but we don’t have [them] yet,” stated Ernotte Cunci, stressing that the group has already saved €110m over two years.
“Our most precious asset is our independence,” she said, adding that this demands consistent and predictable funding, something that is required for European broadcasters by the European Media Freedom Act.
Sitbon-Gómez revealed that savings for the 2026-27 season total €80m, including sports and a €20m cut across drama, animation, and documentaries budget. “We already know that the latter will drop by another €20m at least next year; negotiations with the government are about whether it will be more or not. We have to do better with less.”
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