After the blow to the head, here begins the legal response of the disappointed editors of the television channel. Less than two months after the announcement of the non-renewal of its digital terrestrial television (DTT) frequency in 2025, the C8 channel announced, on Thursday 19 September, by press release, that it had referred the matter to the Council of State through a provisional suspension to challenge the decision of the audiovisual regulator. The day before, Wednesday 18 September, the NRJ group had done the same with its channel NRJ12, whose broadcasting authorisation will also expire on 28 February.
At the end of July, the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) listed the shortlisted candidates for the reallocation of 15 television frequencies in 2025, including two new entrants, RéelsTV (from the CMI group, owned by Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky) and OFTV (a group from the West of France)… but not two outgoing ones, C8 and NRJ12. The former has racked up 7.6 million euros in fines and around thirty sanctions since 2012, while the latter’s schedule is fuelled by broadcasts for a very small audience.
The subsidiary of Vivendi, a group whose majority shareholder is the ultra-conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, believes it sees “deep injustices” in the unprecedented decision by Arcom. The C8 accuses the regulator in particular of having redefined “as you please” the notion “of public interest” and dress” a massive and disproportionate attack on the very existence of the company”with 300 employees and “the numerous production companies with which he collaborates” for almost twenty years.
“Pluralism’s priority imperative”
“Everything suggests that there was a climate of hostility at the Arcom school towards the channel and the type of programmes it broadcasts. C8 cannot tolerate such a lack of objectivity and impartiality.”writes the Canal+ group. Another failure, the NRJ group stated on Wednesday in its press release that the ” decision ” not keeping your channel among the shortlisted ones “There are already grievances (…) which justifies the referral to the administrative judge without waiting for Arcom to publish its final decisions”.
Another candidate disappointed by Arcom’s decision, the radical left-wing web channel Le Média, also regrets the “lack of transparency” of the process of “preselection” and announced on Friday, September 13, its intention to take the matter to administrative court.
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