French Regulator Rejects Free-TV Applications from TF1, M6, CANAL+

PARIS: The French media regulator Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) has rejected requests from TF1, M6 and CANAL+ to switch three channels from pay TV to free-to-air.

TF1 was looking to take its 24-hour news channel LCI from paid to free. LCI said it now plans to "examine a possible recourse to legal proceedings in the competent courts."

M6 wanted to do the same for its culture channel Paris Première, while CANAL+ was aiming to migrate its doc channel Planete+.

The CSA said it based its decision on the state of the ad market, the financial position of existing free-TV DTT channels and supply vs. demand. In the case of LCI, CSA decided that turning it into an advertising-funding service could destabilize existing news channels. With Paris Première, CSA believes the move could impact the economy and financial viability of the free DTT sector. The regulator said it was too early for Planete+ to move to free TV since there is already one doc channel in that space and it has yet to achieve financial balance.