Paris (AFP)

France Télévisions adopted for 2020 a balanced budget for the fifth year in a row, despite the decrease in state funding and while strengthening its digital investments, according to a press release published on Thursday after a council of Directors.

The television group is subject, like the other public broadcasting companies, to cost-saving measures. For 2020, the drop in State funding is 60 million euros, for a total drop by 2022 of 160 million euros, which notably involves the abolition of DTT for France 4 and France Ô.

But by including in this sum the mechanical increase in costs and additional investments in digital requested by the State, the real savings effort will be around 400 million euros by 2022.

To break even in 2020, the group is relying on a departure plan, with the abolition of 215 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, bringing the overall headcount drop to 700 FTE since 2015.

France Télé also reduced its program costs but "while maintaining the investment in creation up to 420 million euros and preserving the information budget," said the press release.

At the same time the group reports a decrease in levies and an increase in its resources thanks to its good audiences, the expected returns from the Tokyo Olympics next summer, and new agreements with producers.

As expected, the digital budget is increasing (+24 million euros) to reach 144 million in 2020, which should make it possible to operate the digital switchover of youth offers (already initiated with the launch of Okoo) and Outremer and to fully deploy the Lumni educational platform.

This budget must also "strengthen the quality and content of the france.tv and franceinfo.fr platforms".

On the editorial side, the group anticipates in 2020 the ramp-up of common morning broadcasts France 3 and France Bleu and the strengthening of the local offer via coverage of municipal elections. "

France Télévisions will also maintain operating profit, according to the press release. It will integrate two investments amounting to 24.3 million euros, which are part of the strategic plan: training costs to prepare employees for the new jobs brought about by digital transformation and France Télévisions' financial participation in Salto, the new SVOD offer alongside TF1 and M6.

© 2019 AFP