Competition with Amazon, new program: Delphine Ernotte unveils France TV's strategy for sport

Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin 9:26 p.m., January 19, 2023

Roland-Garros, Tour de France, Coupe de France... There is no shortage of sporting events on the France Télévisions channels.

But the arrival of new platforms on the broadcasting rights market could gradually put an end to this privileged relationship.

An exceptional guest of the Décideurs du Sport at the microphone of Jacques Vendroux on the

program (every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), Delphine Ernotte spoke about this challenge that France Televisions will face in the coming years. 

"My objective is not to compete with TF1 and M6, it is not to privatize sport, not to make it necessary to pay to watch sport on television", declared Delphine Ernotte in

.

For the president of the France TV group, the main competitors are the new broadcasting platforms coming straight from the United States: "Are we able to resist the fairly considerable financial means of competitors like Amazon, like perhaps Netflix one day, of these large American platforms which have means which largely exceed those of the private or public national channels”, wondered the boss of the audiovisual public service.

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Uncertainty for Roland-Garros

France Télévisions currently holds a multitude of TV rights in sports.

The Tour de France, the Six Nations Tournament or the world swimming championships.

But some contracts are coming to an end, as for Roland-Garros.

France TV could no longer be the official broadcaster from 2024. A call for tenders must be made this year.

The ball is therefore no longer in the court of the public service.

It would be a tragic end since France Télévisions has been broadcasting matches for the fortnight for 30 years. 

"I would like us to continue to be this loyal and faithful partner for our compatriots", says Delphine Ernotte.

"Now, it does not belong to me, the subject will be on the table this year and I hope that the French Tennis Federation will take into account this long friendship, this work in common, these links which are so human and woven over the closer to the field", she sighed in

, before adding: "We will discuss with them and then, after all, the choice is ultimately theirs."

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For the Olympics, "we won"

But the president of France Télévisions still wanted to highlight the good news about the Olympic Games.

Indeed, the public television service will broadcast the Olympic Games, summer and winter, until 2032. "This is the good news for this week. As a union of European public services, we have returned to the game, that is to say that for ten years, we have been absent from these major deals, major sports rights and the Olympics are absolutely fundamental rights for public services in Europe", rejoiced the one who campaigns for make sport accessible to all.

“We won”, even exclaimed Delphine Ernotte who will still have many other battles to fight like the Tour de France in the years to come.

For the one who took the helm of France TV in 2015, the fight is "to provide free access, wherever you are in France, to these major events that bring us together and that make, whether you are rich or poor, young or old, that we vibrate together, that we have positive emotions together and that we feel part of a larger community."

“These feelings of positive union do us all good,” ended up concluding the latter.

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daily news

Included in this new strategy and ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Delphine Ernotte has confirmed the creation of a new daily sports program.

This program devoted to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be broadcast every evening on France 3, at 8 p.m., from this year onwards from the end of January.

#RentréeFTV |

@DelphineErnotte: "We are going to make #Paris2024 a big celebration for all French people, including ⤵

• A daily program on @France3tv from 2023

• Field operations throughout France

• An experience in the #metaverse" pic.twitter. com/msTLUJFtgV

– France Televisions (@Francetele) July 6, 2022

"We want to reach all audiences: children, parents and retirees. Sport concerns everyone and that's what we want to send as a message" with this daily news.

France Télévisions is thus approaching the year 2023 with ambition and seems ready to take up the challenge of competition against the American giants.