Ratings Roundup: American Imports Dominate French Annual Hit Parade

PREMIUM: Half of the Top 100 programs in the ratings on French television in 2012 were episodes of American dramatic series.

A handful of Hollywood shows, led by The Mentalist, took 48 of the top 100 largest audiences of the year. Only two episodes of French fiction series appear in the entire list of last year’s winners.

The number one program of the year (excluding coverage of a speech by the president of France on multiple channels) was very French indeed—the annual edition of Le Bal des Enfoirés (The Dance of the Jerks), a live entertainment event for feed-the-hungry charity Restaurants du Cœur. TF1 pulled 13.29 million viewers and a 53-percent share for the show.

Otherwise, the ratings were ruled by foreign programming and sports.

TF1 completely dominates the list of ratings winners and all the top series aired on that channel. The Mentalist, originally on CBS in the States, appears 23 times in the top 100, including once in the Top 10. Another CBS hit, Criminal Minds, appears 12 times, followed by FOX series House with 10 episodes while CSI and CSI: New York (CBS again) show up three times.

The top movies on television were American too. Number one was Clint Eastwood vehicle Gran Torino on TF1 at number 16. Animated Ice Age 3 on TF1 was next at number 22.

The only French series on the list, both on TF1, were Nos chers voisins (Our Dear Neighbors) in 28th place and Profilage (Profiling) at number 94.

The French version of Dutch format The Voice from John de Mol on TF1 pulled seven of the Top 100 audiences.

Sports mega-events loom large in the hit parade. Matches featuring the French national team in action in the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament drew five of the year’s ten biggest audiences, including two matches on M6 (three on TF1).

The Summer Olympics gave public television some fresh air. The London Games appear 11 times in the Top 100 (10 times on France 2, once on France 3). The highest showing for the Olympics was number 18.