French terrestrial channels TF1 and M6 look set to retain their terrestrial frequencies, despite a bid by Xavier Niel to wrest control away from the two long established incumbents.
A formal declaration is still weeks away, but following a meeting on Wednesday, regulator Arcom said it would be entering exclusive discussions with the two to define the obligations and commitments for the licensing period.
An agreement must be reached before May 5, 2023.
Niel, who owns the French Internet service provider and mobile operator Iliad, had wanted to establish a new channel dubbed SIX that he wanted to replace M6.
Despite protestations from the billionaire may not be the end for Niel’s ambitions. Over the next two years, 14 other licences will expire, starting in February 2025 with TMC, TFX, C8, W9, NRJ12, LCI and Paris Première. This will be followed in August by CNews, Planète+, Gulli, BFMTV, Canal+ Cinéma, Canal+ Sport and CStar.
Canal Plus benefits from automatic licence renewals, though its side channels C8 and CNews will need to go through the process.
