The Cannes Film Festival soon on France Télévisions?

France Télévisions confirms having proposed to be, with the Brut platform, the new official broadcaster of the Cannes Film Festival, while, according to “Le Point”, Canal + would no longer be in the game.

Is a dramatic twist taking place behind the scenes in the world of cinema? The rise of the Cannes Film Festival, live on TV, could migrate from Canal + to France Télévisions… According to information from Point published Friday, the encrypted channel would have indeed decided to cast off the sails, by ceasing to be the broadcaster of the Festival. The channel, which has been its official media partner since 1993, is reportedly considering different coverage for the next opening and closing ceremonies. When asked, the management of the group, a subsidiary of Vivendi, of which Vincent Bolloré is the majority shareholder, did not wish to answer us.

Should this be seen as a bluff from Canal +, which is losing momentum in the negotiations on the next edition of the Festival? According to our information, discussions are still ongoing, the management of Cannes has not yet acted, and no official document has yet been signed. What France Télévisions confirms to us: the group has indeed made a joint proposal with the online media Brut to become the Festival’s new media partner, but confides in learning ” with surprise by the press the withdrawal of Canal + “. ” We are in extensive discussions on the content of this partnership, but no decision has been taken. », We are told.

For several years, the rumor of a withdrawal from Canal +

Within the Festival team, a source familiar with the matter specifies that the two proposals from Canal + and France Télévisions are still on the table, and that ” that of France Télévisions with Brut corresponds to the level of expectations “. Clearly, it would hold the rope, thanks to a visibility considered more advantageous. The public group, which has been eyeing the Croisette for several years, can also count on a powerful ally: Pierre Lescure, president of the Cannes Film Festival since 2014, and columnist for C to you, Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine’s talk show every evening on France 5.

In fact, the rumor of a Canal + withdrawal has been circulating for several years. Strange, while the great financier of French cinema has just taken out the checkbook, and signed an agreement with professional organizations in the sector. It plans that from next year, subscribers of the encrypted channel will be able to see the films six months after their theatrical release, against eight currently. The group, which has committed to investing 200 million euros per year until 2024 in the purchase and production of films, has thus secured its access to films and consolidated its status as a historical partner of French cinema, on strong competition from Netflix, Amazon and other platforms.

At a potential withdrawal from the distribution of the festival, our colleagues from the Point advance financial reasons, due to a low return on investment for Canal +, and this in a context of erosion of audiences. The last closing ceremony, on July 17, gathered 875,000 viewers (or 5.5% of the television audience), with a peak of 1.3 million when the Palme d’Or was awarded to Julia Ducourneau For the movie Titanium. That is 30,000 more viewers than in 2019 … but still far from the scores of previous years.

For the first time, the ceremony was also simultaneously broadcast on Europe 1, of which Vincent Bolloré has been the new strongman since last spring. ” The Cannes Film Festival remains a prestigious showcase for a chain, it brings back advertisers »Blows a film professional, a regular at the festival. The 75^e ceremony should be held from May 17 to 22.