DÉCRYPTAGE

BFMTV is back ahead of CNews, which is neck and neck with LCI. Together, BFMTV, CNews, LCI, and Franceinfo captured more than 11% of the audience in March. A record-breaking achievement.

March shuffled the rankings of news channels. Taking advantage of a hotbed of international and political news to regain the lead, BFMTV broke CNews’s long dominance. This hadn’t happened in 14 months.

By attracting 3.5% of the audience, BFMTV surpassed its major rival, which attracted 3.2% of the public. CNews not only lost its crown but also found itself challenged by LCI, making a significant comeback, and now sharing the second spot on the podium on equal terms. The only channel not affected by this shake-up was Franceinfo. The public service channel remained at the bottom, finishing the month with 1.2%, even though it had progressed by 0.4 points over the year. But back then, like LCI, it was far behind in the channel lineup, on channel 27, which it has since exchanged for channel 16.

Read more: “On passe en spéciale rouge”: How the news channels organized themselves to cover the war in Iran.

BFMTV has capitalized on a context where the primary reflex reverts to the image, the symbol, and the emotions.