Bolloré heard at the Assembly: the maintenance of Cnews and C8 on TNT questioned

To deal with the controversies surrounding Cnews and C8, Vincent Bolloré was summoned before the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry. The hearing could be decisive for maintaining the channels on TNT.

This is the highlight of the hearings carried out by the Commission of Inquiry into the allocation, content and control of authorizations of television channels present on DTT. While the Canal group channels, such as Cnews and C8, are at the heart of the most hectic discussions, parliamentarians will receive Vincent Bolloré, the group's boss, this Wednesday March 13 at 3 p.m. at the National Assembly.

The billionaire's public speaking engagements are rare, unlike the controversies that arise around the two aforementioned channels, but this one promises to be important and perhaps decisive for the future of the Canal group's channels. The conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry could be taken into account by Arcom, which launched the process of renewing the 15 DTT frequencies only two weeks ago. A procedure which will decide which channels will be able to continue broadcasting in France in 2025 and which will no longer be available on DTT. The numerous calls to order issued by Arcom against Cnews and C are already not working in favor of Vincent Bolloré.

Exchanges between the Commission, created at the initiative of the La France insoumise group, and Vincent Bolloré risk being tense. The Canal group's channels have often been singled out, as have the management and editorial lines given under the direction of Vincent Bolloré. The big boss is accused of interventionism on the channels he controls and he is accused of a political role, particularly on Cnews which is accused of promoting far-right ideas.

Vincent Bolloré will not fail to defend his media empire which has shown its power with Cnews which continues to see its audience grow - this having sometimes exceeded that of BFMTV in recent weeks - or C8 with its star host Cyril Hanouna who enjoys a resounding success despite numerous controversies. Before Vincent Bolloré, the Canal group and its boss were able to count on the support and defense of the group's presenters and journalists. The very divisive Pascal Praud, Laurence Ferrari and Sonia Mabrouk, who work on Cnews or Europe 1, were heard by the Commission on February 29 and denied any intervention by the billionaire in the programming and content of the broadcasts.

Because of her speech which is rare, the boss of Canal could make an impression during her exchange with parliamentarians. Especially since the discussions could turn into a verbal joust between Vincent Bolloré and a few deputies, one in particular: the rebellious Louis Boyard. The deputy for Val-de-Marne had been targeted by virulent comments from Cyril Hanouna on the set of Touche pas à mon poste in November 2022, precisely after having criticized the Breton businessman: “The five richest people ", these are the same people who are impoverishing France and Africa. And I will give you the example of Bolloré who deforested Cameroon" declared the elected official.

Vincent Bolloré's hearing at the National Assembly promises to be a burning moment for the Commission of Inquiry, but it is not the only one. After the boss of the Canal group, it is the star of the C8 channel and friend - according to him - of Vincent Bolloré who must be auditioned on Thursday March 14: the very media-oriented Cyril Hanouna. The host has also promised “a special program on the full debrief” of his audition on TPMP. He had already made a comment on the hearing of his colleagues from the Canal group on February 29, denouncing a "political tribunal" as the site Actu.fr recalls.