End Of C8 And Nrj12: What Will Be The New Tnt Channels?
The announcement made a big splash in the media: the channels C8 and NRJ12 will lose their TNT frequency in 2025 in favor of two new channels. Here is everything you need to know about this change that will shake up the French audiovisual landscape.
Which channels will disappear from TNT?
On July 24, 2024, Arcom announced in a press release that the applications of channels C8 and NRJ12 had not been retained for the reallocation of TNT frequencies in 2025.
The news had the effect of a thunderbolt in the media sector. And for good reason: it means that these two channels will simply disappear from TNT!
In total, 24 projects were in the running for the allocation of the 15 TNT frequencies that will expire in 2025. The stakes were high for the major media groups in France, as 18.4% of French households equipped with a television receive television exclusively via TNT.
What are the reasons for the shutdown of C8 and NRJ12?
As a reminder, Arcom is the regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication. This audiovisual watchdog was born in 2022 from the merger between CSA and Hadopi.
Its mission is to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory obligations in the audiovisual and digital sectors. This regulatory authority regularly reprimands television channels that do not respect the plurality of opinions on air.
After several weeks of hearings, Arcom delivered its verdict on July 24, 2024, stating that it based its decision on “the interest of each project for the public in light of the primary imperative of pluralism”. With the decision to oust C8, this regulatory authority sanctioned this Canal+ group channel for the repeated misconduct of its star host Cyril Hanouna.
The C8 channel, which has accumulated nearly 7.5 million euros in fines over the past eight years, feared this decision to the point of committing to broadcast the show Touche pas à mon poste with a delay of up to 45 minutes to avoid new live mishaps. But this gesture of goodwill was not enough.
As for the NRJ12 channel, it was excluded from TNT due to its fragile economic balance. Indeed, the content of the programs is not the only criterion taken into account by Arcom. Financial stability and territorial coverage commitments also matter, as does the honesty of information for channels specializing in this field.
What will be the new channels on TNT in 2025?
The reallocation of TNT frequencies will benefit new entrants and bring a wind of change to the French audiovisual landscape.
Two applications have secured a frequency and will replace the channels C8 and NRJ12:
• A channel from the regional press group Ouest-France, named OF TV.
• A channel from the media group CMI, owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, called Réels TV.
OF TV presents itself as "the channel of real life and real people" and targets young adults living outside city centers and the capital.
Réels TV is announced as a generalist channel aimed at "reconciling the French with reality." Its program schedule will prominently feature documentaries, debates, and entertainment. This new TNT channel plans to cover five main themes: society, history, science, art and culture, and discovery.
The disappearance of C8 and NRJ12 in favor of these new channels will be effective on March 1, 2025. From that date, the newcomers OF TV and Réels TV will be authorized to broadcast their programs on TNT for ten years.
