Call for applications for a local television service in Île-de-France: Arcom has rejected both applications submitted

Following the call for applications launched on 18 February 2026 for the operation of a local digital terrestrial television service in Île-de-France, two applications were submitted: one by Juher Group for the ‘Street & Style’ project, and the other by Le Média for the ‘Le Média TV Île-de-France’ project.

Both applicants were interviewed on 24 June 2026. However, at its plenary session on 22 July 2026, Arcom decided not to accept these applications. Despite the intrinsic merit of the projects, they did not provide sufficient funding guarantees to ensure prospects for sustainable operation and to meet the applicable audiovisual regulation requirements. This legal criterion is, however, essential for authorising a service to use the public radio spectrum free of charge. The call for applications was therefore declared unsuccessful.

This decision comes at a time when local television stations are facing an unprecedented economic downturn, leading to the closure or withdrawal of many services from DTT. In this regard, Arcom summons the Government and local authorities to attention to these major economic difficulties: these services make a vital contribution to the plurality of local news – as demonstrated by the recent local elections – and to social cohesion across the regions, and enjoy a high level of public trust.