The French pay-TV channel Paris Première could become a free service from next year.
According to Le Figaro, its operator M6 group has applied to the regulator CSA for a DTT licence.
Should it receive approval from the CSA this spring, Paris Première may become available to all French viewers, rather than the third it is to at present, on January 1, 2015.
However, making the change would require significant investment.
M6 plans to double the amount it spends on Paris Première to €50 million by 2018, at which stage the channel will have moved from an operating loss of €30 million to breakeven.
Paris Première is also expected to increase its current audience share of 0.4% to 1.4% within the next two years.
