Arcom postpones proceedings to allocate available DTT resource

The cessation, on June 6, 2025, of the diffusion of the four Canal Plus Group pay-TV channels on digital terrestrial television (DTT), has made radioelectric resources available.

In view of the contributions to the public consultation launched on April 30, 2025, and the impact study published on July 2, 2025, from which it emerged that the economic situation of the market in question was not favorable to the launch of a call for candidates, Arcom decided, at its meeting on September 17, 2025, to postpone the launch of proceedings for the allocation of the available resource for a period of two years from June 6, 2025, in accordance with the provisions of the last paragraph of article 31 of law no. 86-1067 of September 30, 1986 on freedom of communication.

The analysis carried out by the Autorité and most of the contributions from players in the sector show that, against a backdrop of eroding television consumption and a sluggish advertising market, the sector's capacity to absorb the arrival of viable new services, without prejudice to existing services and their ability to finance content, is limited. Between 2025 and 2030, the TV advertising market in France is set to shrink gradually, with an estimated average annual drop of -1.7%. The authorization of existing services in enhanced formats to strengthen DTT's appeal is associated with high costs and uncertain revenues, making its application complex and unevenly accessible to service editors. The economic benefits would also be limited or difficult to estimate today. The scenario of using frequencies for "5G broadcast" norms comes up against technical and economic constraints. This standard is still undergoing industrial development, and could not be deployed in the short term.

To date, DTT remains an essential tool for ensuring the availability of television supplies to the entire population. In order to examine the conditions for the survival of DTT services and the groups that produce them, the Autorité is launching a project to examine the economic model for DTT broadcasting, with a view to the long term, and possible ways of modernising it.

This work will also aim to re-examine the appropriateness of the regulation framework for television media, against a backdrop of profound change in the audiovisual industry and shrinking use of DTT. They will aim to

- to study the means of ensuring accessibility and improving the visibility of television services that fulfill public service missions or make a significant contribution to the plurality of currents of thought and opinion and to cultural diversity, as well as the conditions under which they are taken up by interfaces and distributors;

- to contribute to the reduction of disparities between services offering comparable content, whether published in France or abroad;

- propose, where appropriate, a more flexible managerial framework for television services.

This project will be carried out in close coordination with all public and private players in the audiovisual industry, taking into account work carried out at national, European and international levels. It may give rise to proposals for developments in the legal framework for regulation of the sector. It is due to be completed in early 2027, and will give rise to progress reports, notably in the spring of 2026, when work begins on reallocating the frequencies made available when six national DTT services expire on December 12, 2027.