News Channels Win The Season, Music Channels Race To The Bottom

Michael Hedges April 22, 2022 Follow on Twitter

The last weeks of winter can be good for radio broadcasters. Returning to work after year end holidays it is a time to regroup, rethink, rebuild. Sometimes listeners pay attention to all this. The advertising people pay no attention until that first survey of the new year is released.

French measurement institute Médiamétrie released national radio audience estimates for the January-March period this past week (April 21). Overall listening during the period, persons 13 years and older, fell to a record low, 72.3% from 73.2% year on year. Average time spent listening also fell; 158 average daily minutes, lowest forever, from 163 minutes. French media watchers blamed the news or the blues noting the same period in 2020 was much better. Coronavirus issues faded through the period while the Russian invasion of Ukraine rose.

The channels of public broadcaster Radio France continued to pace the market. Aggregate market share for public radio channels rose to 31.% audience share from 29.5% one year on. Main general interest channel France Inter is again the market leader with 13.9% audience share, up from 13.3%. “We must look at reality,” said France Inter director Laurence Bloch, to Le Monde (April 21), noting persistent attacks from right-wing newspapers and talkshow hosts, “the French favor us.” All news France Info blasted to 4th place overall from 7th, 5.7% audience share from 4.4%. Regional network France Bleu, known for winter and summer travel and weather reports, moved on aggregate to 5th place, down slightly at 5.5% audience share. (See more about media in France here)

There was both joy and suffering for national commercial channels. Aggregate audience share dropped to 63.7% from 65.0% year on year. Indeed, that number fell bit by bit all year. Ownership - hence, management - changes may have contributed. Now part of the merged TF1/M6 group, general interest channel RTL held second place overall, rising noticeably to 13.1% audience share from 12.4%. Hit music icon NRJ held third place, up slightly to 6.2% audience share. Talk and sports channel RMC (Altice Group) dropped to 6th with 5.2% audience share from 5.5%. (See France national radio audience trend charts here)

Oldies channel Nostalgie (NRJ Group) held 7th place, 4.6% audience share, up from 4.4% one year on. Rap/hip hop channel Skyrock held 8th spot, 3.8% audience share, down from 4.0%. French media watchers gave considerable attention to yet further losses for Europe 1, the Lagardère Group talk channel, effectively taken over by Canel+ (Vivendi) and simulcasting several right-wing talks shows from TV channel CNews. Europe 1 dropped to 9th place from 6th; 3.7% audience share from 4.5%. It was the biggest loss for any national channel. Le Monde called Europe 1 “the one who never stops emptying the room.”

Further down the list, RTL2 (TF1/M6) held the 10th spot, down slightly in audience share year on year. Public channel France Culture bumped up to 11th place, slightly up in audience share. The new “electro-Latino” music format for Fun Radio (TF1/M6) has not caught on, audience share falling to 2.3% from 2.9%.

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