TF1, M6 and France Télévisions must meet in the coming days to decide what they do with their paid streaming platform. Stop or even?
by Aude Dassonville
Two small laps and then leave? Two years after its appearance, Salto lives crucial hours. The fate of the video platform on the paid request common to France Télévisions, TF1 and M6 could indeed be sealed before the end of the month. Its shareholders must meet in the coming days to make a decision: put back to the pot, or stop the costs.
Officially, “no decision is made” at TF1, after the letter A said, ten days ago, that its new managing director, Rodolphe Belmer, wanted to get out. “We do not have a pre-established strategy,” we are carefully claimed to M6. As for France Télévisions, it is skepticism that dominates.
Harranted in the cultural affairs committee, on October 26 at the National Assembly, Delphine Ernotte explained to the deputies that she was looking for 45 million euros to complete the 2023 budget of the group it leads. By accounting chance, this is exactly the sum that she was supposed to obtain from her partners in exchange from France Télévisions in Salto when, anticipating the merger of TF1 and M6, she announced, a year ago , that she would withdraw from it. This desire for emancipation probably did not disappear with the failure of marriage between the two private groups, but the conditions for its realization are radically different.
relatively cheap rates
“There are three possibilities, explains an actor in the file. Either none of the three shareholders puts money back, and you have to liquidate. Either they get along to strengthen the platform – but this is not the scenario most likely. Either one of the partners or an external actor, such as a producer, bought the shares of others. But then, he must have solid kidneys. “
At this stage, Salto is not completely lacking in attractions, but it is not a boon either. With its offer of popular programs and relatively cheap rates (from 6.99 to 12.99 euros), the platform could reach one million subscribers at the end of the year, according to some sources. Far from the 10 million French subscribers in Netflix for example, but the figure is not so dishonorable for a recent service. “It is almost miraculous, insist on one of the groups concerned, when we know that internet access providers have done anti game by refusing to distribute Salto” (SFR, Free, Orange , but not Bouygues, who has distributed it from the start, nor Amazon, who has been doing it since June). Its users are rather faithful to it: when they come to the platform, every two days approximately, they stay there between 2 h 10 and 2 h 30. “60 % of Salto subscribers are under 35 years old, while only 10 % of viewers are under 35, which proves complementarity between this offer and classic television, “highlights Thomas Follin, its managing director.
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