TF1 Reports a Loss for Q1

PARIS: France’s TF1 reported a loss of 6.3 million euros ($8.27 million) for the first quarter of 2013, with a 10-percent decline in year-on-year revenues.

Revenues for the quarter were 565.6 million euros ($742.7 million), compared to Q1 2012’s 628.6 million euros ($825.5 million). The group’s performance was largely due to a fall in ad revenues.

Group advertising revenues were down 12 percent, to 368.7 million euros ($484.2 million), from the "challenging economic and competitive environment," TF1 said. Revenue from other activities was down 6 percent, to 196.9 million euros ($258.6 million), in part from weaker sales for its content and video business.

TF1 still reports, however, that the group’s four free-to-air channels (TF1, TMC, NT1 and HD1) attracted an audience share of 29.6 percent among individuals over the age of 4, which is 1.1 points higher year-on-year.

Revenue for the Broadcasting & Content segment was down 11.4 percent, to 386.1 million euros ($507 million), including 331.8 million euros ($435.7 million) from ad revenues from the free-to-air channels. Revenue from the pay-TV segment held steady at 123.1 million euros ($161.7 million). Within this segment, the Eurosport group posted revenue growth of 1.8 percent to 103.7 million euros ($136.2 million), led by increased ad revenues. This helped to offset the fall in revenues for the theme channels in France.

As for the rest of 2013, TF1 said: "In a deeply unsettled economic and competitive environment, and in the absence of any present signs of recovery, the TF1 group is adjusting its 2013 full-year revenue assumption to 2,500 million euros…. The Group remains fully committed to consolidating its business model and to developing its business activities."