Holidays No Gift To Music Channels

Michael Hedges January 17, 2012 Follow on Twitter

Reviewing another slice of the recently ended holiday season shows how audiences remain undeterred by fun and frivolity. Economies are tanking and listeners just can’t get enough news, albeit in slices. And, too, there’s a lot of button pushing going on. It’s a trend.

National general interest channel RTL continues on top of the Métromédia French national radio audience survey. The November-December survey period is usually quite generous to the perpetually number one channel. Not so much this time; RTL’s market share fell to 11.9% from 12.7% one year on, 12.4% in 2009 and 13.0% in 2008.

More generosity was shown to public radio main channel France Inter. Still ranking number two overall in the national survey, its market share rose to 10.0% from 9.6% year on year. The channel’s market share last hit 10.0% in spring 2009.

Number three Europe 1 received a bit of a gift, largely staying number three. Lagardère’s flagship French radio channel posted 7.6% market share, up from 7.4% one year on. In the November-December 2009 survey Europe 1 posted 8.6% market share. The trend is what the trend is.

“We are far from achieving our goals,” said Lagardère media chief Denis Olivennes, quoted by Le Point (January 17). After the disastrous September-October 2011 survey result a senior producer was hired for Europe 1. “All our programs are produced except info slices,” he added. “It’s a very effective Anglo-Saxon method.”

The biggest market share boost for a national channel extended the gains of NextRadioTV’s RMC, now in fourth place with 6.6%, up from a sixth place 5.9% one year on. Apparently the ratings for morning show host Jean-Jacques Bourdin “exploded.” RMC is a business-oriented news and information channel and all things economic certainly dominated the news cycle during the holiday months. Ho, Ho, Ho. Public radio rolling-news channel France Info posted 3.6% market share, up from 3.4% year on year. Yes, and the French are in a significant election cycle.

Iconic hit music channel NRJ continued its recovery, holding fifth place with 6.3% market share, up from 6.2% year on year. NRJ was almost the only national music channel to show year on year market share gains. The exceptions were the eclectic Rire & Chansons (NRJ Group) – up to 1.6% from 1.4% - and public classical music channel France Musiques – up to 1.3% from 1.0% one year on.

Overall listening during the November-December 2011 survey period was 82.8%, the highest for any survey period in three years (November-December 2008 - 83.0%). Time spent listening was down to 170 average minutes from 175 average minutes one year on. With the exception of RTL, only the top five national radio channels showed major market share increases.

Commercial channels fell to their lowest aggregated market share in ages, 71.6% down from 73.1% one year on. Perhaps it was hearing all those happy holiday shopping ads that sent French radio listeners to the news channels. Worst hit were Cherie FM (NRJ Group) and RTL2.

Research institute Médiamétrie surveys radio listening quarterly with a special summer period survey.

See also in ftmKnowledge

Europe's Radio - Western Europe

Opportunity meets tradition in Western Europe's radio broadcasting. Change has come fast and yet oh, so slowly. This ftm Knowledge file contains material and resources on public and private radio broadcasting in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. 156 pages. Resources. PDF (December 2011)

Order here

Media in France

French audiences are moving fast to every new platform. Mobile and Web media challenges the old guard while rule makers seek new directions. Media life in France... and a few secrets. includes updated Resources 140 pages PDF (November 2011)

Order here