TV entertainment is one of the greatest entertainment markets in the world, and this article looks at three of the largest French channels.
Entertainment TV is the most versatile and common kind of television, with likely the most networks committed to it across the world. France is like anywhere else and has plenty of entertainment networks to select from. There are many French sitcoms and dramas offered on these networks but also English language series, that are either dubbed over or have subtitles. The best known TV network in France is unsurprisingly on channel 1 which is directed by Gilles Pélisson; the channel has a 24% market share, which is very significant. The channel has a tremendous collection of programs, ranging from kids’ programmes like cartoons, to hard hitting dramas; some of the most popular French TV programs were broadcast for the first time on this network. As the network is the most viewed, it also receives a great deal of marketing and advertising investment.
Arguably the most important form of TV is news TV, without which a lot of of the people would not be knowledgeable about the international news. Many individuals no longer look at newspapers, so they use the radio or TV to access current affairs; this means the popular French news channels have some of the highest viewers out of all the networks. While some of the news on these channels can be celebrity news, most focus on French news and worldwide affairs. One of the largest news networks is partly owned by telecommunications businessman Patrick Drahi. After the creation of 24hr news networks, it has opened the door for news providers to develop their own networks where there is continual rolling news coverage, which allows for more marketing and advertising and wider audience.
France is one of the largest countries in Europe, so of course it will have lots of TV entertainment. Within the TV industry there are many different forms, with TV sport being one of the most popular. French TV plays many sports, like soccer, rugby, handball and athletics. Soccer has the greatest interest in France, particularly in the north, where it is played the most. Rugby is a lot more popular in the south of the country, with the many coastal cities having the greatest clubs. All these sporting events are available anywhere in the country however, with the biggest sports channel and broadcaster part owned by Vincent Bolloré. As this is perhaps one of the most famous channels on the French TV guide, it has a large revenue supply, and marketing and advertising space on the channel is in high demand. The network is likewise on a subscription basis, so the income created is not solely from the marketing and advertising presented to the channel. Although, the sports fan is generally very devoted, therefore will happily pay a price to be able to see their favourite sport or team.