French communications regulator Arcom has published the list of 11 candidates that have been selected in the allocation of DTT frequencies.
The selection of two new channels means that there is no longer room for two established broadcasters, the Canal+ owned C8 and NRJ12. In their place, CMI TV and PF TV.
Confirming its list released earlier this year, Arcom has granted a total of nine broadcast licences, eight are free-to-air, while M6 Group’s Paris Première remains the only pay-TV channel after the decision by Canal+ to withdraw its pay channel from the terrestrial system.
It means that four channel slots remain vacant, the regulator having rejected calls to readvertise the capacity.
“It considered that this decision was not likely to call into question the number of services authorised to broadcast free of charge on DTT as part of the frequency allocation procedure, given the need to guarantee the sustainable financing of services in the context of an eroding advertising market with declining prospects,” Arcom said in a statement.
For broadcasters that already hold a frequency, the new licences will take effect from when the old licences expire. For new services CMI TV and OFTV, the authorisations will begin on 1 March 2025 and 1 September 2025 respectively, in accordance with the commitments made both in their applications and during Arcom’s public hearings.
