A proposed merger between two of France’s biggest television companies to better compete with fast-growing streaming services such as Netflix looks increasingly unlikely in the face of regulatory opposition.
TF1 and M6 are defending the plan in front of the regulator on Monday and Tuesday. They may well bring up recent decisions by streaming giants Disney+ and Netflix to add cheaper subscriptions that include ads to make their case. Representatives from TF1 and M6 declined to comment. The head of M6, Nicolas de Tavernost, made it clear in a Telerama interview last week that he was still willing to convince the authority, saying the French now spend more time on YouTube than on TF1.