INTERVIEW
"Often, it is said that young people no longer watch television, but it is above all the television screen which no longer has the same weight in their lives". It is on this basis that France Télévisions launched, in 2018, the France.tv Slash platform. The public service video media, intended for young adults and exclusively digital, has just celebrated its second anniversary. To talk about it, the Culture Media show on Europe 1 received the director of France.tv Slash, Antonio Grigolini, on Tuesday. "We had two objectives," he announces: "renewing the daily bond with young adults and being useful in playing our role of public service". Successful bet. Today the platform has almost 300 million video views and more than 2.5 million subscriptions on all networks.
Go where the audience is
"We practically only live on the internet," sums up Antonio Grigolini. Indeed, France.tv Slash, these are programs put forward as a priority on social platforms. Youtube first, then on social networks which young people are the most fond of. Ad hoc videos for Instagram, Snapchat ... "This is where our audience is".
Videos for which it was necessary to think of another writing responding to the vertical use of the mobile phone. "The plan values are not the same," says Antonio Grigolini. "It's a very interactive story format that you can move with your thumb on."
This objective of linking with young adults, coupled with utility and the role of public service is notably embodied, on Snapchat, by the Sexy SouciS program, presented by Diane Saint-Réquier. A video clip of a few minutes in which the latter answers questions about sex, gender, but also the relationship to the body. "Our audience has a perfect command of these codes and finds their way around them."
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Skam, the flagship program
But the success of the platform is also, and above all, four letters. SKAM. This series, filmed and broadcast in real time is the adaptation of a Norwegian concept. She follows the daily life of high school students with the modern issues that lie with them. "There is a mirror effect. Today, young people are overwhelmed with proposals for series, but very few speak of their reality." Homophobia, racism, cyber-harassment ... Each season focuses its intrigue on a character, and the spectators have, in addition, the possibility of interacting. Season 5 is coming to an end, but while the series totals 110 million views and 12 million interactions, Season 6 has already been signed.
Young people everywhere
Programs for young people, but also by young people. Although Antonio Grigolini mentions around twenty "young, but not only" employees, the latter still estimates the average age of the team at 27 years. An asset when it is necessary to understand the use that young people have of their Smartphone to offer them tailor-made media. "We pay attention to the sincerity of our words", adds the director of France.tv Slash.
As for the success of the media and its differences compared to other video streaming platforms, Antonio Grigolini responds simply, mentioning the free service. "Our primary goal is not to get people to take out their credit cards," he says. "is to help them".