How many viewers watched the debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen?

Héloïse Goy, with Alexis Patri 9:53 a.m., April 21, 2022

Are the French passionate about the debate between the two rounds of the presidential election?

Wednesday evening, TF1 and France 2 organized and broadcast the meeting between the two finalists in the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen.

The company Médiamétrie, institution of audience measurement, reveals the first figures.

The meeting between the two candidates who had already faced each other in 2017 is far from having reached a historic record, even if the number of viewers must be consolidated.

>> Find Philippe Vandel and Culture-Médias every day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

Fewer viewers on TF1 and France 2 than in 2017

Of the two channels organizing the debate, TF1 came out on top.

Viewers were 7.412 million in front of the front page, or 32.4% audience share.

They were 6.638 million to follow the debate on France 2, or 29% of audience shares.

In total, the two channels therefore gathered just over 14 million viewers, or 61.4% of viewers.

This is one million less than for the 2017 debate, which brought together 15.15 million viewers and was the least followed between-round debate in the history of French television.

>> READ ALSO -

 "It's expected, agreed, these are words": the Mélenchonistes disappointed by the presidential debate

However, the 2022 debate may have exceeded that of 2017. Indeed, Médiamétrie has not yet published the audience figures for the debate on DTT channels.

BFMTV, CNews and LCP/Public Sénat also broadcast the debate.

Their audience shares could change the meaning of the comparison between the two debates between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen.