French pubcaster looks to woo younger audience

French pubcaster looks to woo younger audience

Delphine Ernotte

NEW DELHI: At a time when Prasar Bharati is embroiled in tussles with the government over autonomy, public service broadcasters like BBC and France’s France Télévisions are working to attract younger audiences. 

 

While the BBC had issued a Green Paper not so long ago in this connection, now French public service broadcaster France Télévisions has appointed Delphine Ernotte as its first  woman CEO, who is keen to attract a younger audience.

 

Previously head of Orange France, Ernotte is taking control of the reins at the pubcaster, succeeding Rémy Pflimlin. Rodolphe Belmer, former Canal+ executive, has been named as strategy advisor.

 

Ernotte has also recruited two executives from TF1 Group. While TMC and NT1 former managing director Caroline Got will handle programming and digital strategy, Germain Dagognet, has been appointed deputy head of news.

 

Ernotte and her team aim to find new revenue streams to compensate the loss of advertising income.

 

The group, whose global budget amounts to €2.8 billion, has said that it will certainly fail to reach its financial break-even objective at the end of 2015.

 

Ernotte aims to accelerate digital and multi-devices development, launch a DTT service or web news channel, and break even.