French groups TF1 and Canal+ end their broadcasting dispute

French groups TF1 and Canal+ struck a distribution deal that ended the commercial conflict the two companies were having since September of last year. The Vivendi subsidiary had stopped broadcasting the TF1 group’s channels on all its distribution channels, because it said the price TF1 was asking for continuing to deliver its programmes was too high.

With this new deal, broadcasting will start again on November 7, the two groups confirmed. “The TF1 group and the Canal+ group are pleased to have reached a long-term agreement which renews, from Monday, November 7, 2022, the distribution of all the DTT channels of the TF1 group as well as their catch-up services,”  the two firms said in a joint statement. Financial details of this agreement were not disclosed.

The cessation of broadcasting of its channels by Canal+ was detrimental to the audiences of the TF1 group. In October, all of its five channels (TF1, TMC, TFX, TF1 Séries Films, and LCI) saw its audience share fall to 25.6%, against 27.7% a year earlier, according to Médiamétrie.

For two months, the two groups denied responsibility for the conflict, which ended up being taken to court. While Canal+ claimed that TF1 had been too greedy in the renegotiation of the contract, concluded at the end of 2018 after a similar dispute, TF1 denied these accusations, blaming Canal+.