April audiences: TF1 leader down sharply, F2 progresses, M6 weak, BFMTV and LCI jump

Dominated by the end of the presidential campaign, the month of April 2022 benefited the four news channels, all of which increased over one year. With an audience share of 3.9% of the total audience, BFMTV made the biggest step forward with an additional audience point. All in a context where the overall listening time has dropped considerably. In April 2021, the French had spent 3h59 in front of their television screen. A year later, the average duration this time was 3:27, the lowest recorded since October 2021 (3:22).

France Télé remains in the lead, the TF1 group crushing leader FRDA

France Télévisions (France 2, France 3, France 5 and franceinfo:), deprived – let us remember – of the audience of channel 14, continues to hold the top of the pavement in the general classification. The group led by Delphine Ernotte federated 28.0% of the public aged four and over in April 2022, according to Médiamétrie, relegating the TF1 group 1.4 points behind (26.6%). The curve over one year is to the advantage of the public service. When the latter progresses by 1 point compared to April 2021, Gilles Pélisson’s group, which includes TF1, TMC, TFX, TF1 Séries Films and LCI, lost, at the same time, 0.8 audience points.

Widely outdistanced, the M6 ​​group (M6, W9, Gulli, 6ter) climbs, of course, on the third step of the podium. But, with an audience of 13.7%, the entity led by Nicolas de Tavernost concedes the largest drop over one year (-1.6 points). As in March, the Next group (7.7%), carried by its flagship BFMTV, dominates its Canal+ counterpart (7.1%), and wins the best progress over one year (+1.3 points) . Stable over a year and slightly up over a month (+0.1 point), the NRJ group (2.4%) remains at the bottom of the pack.

On the commercial target, the TF1 group once again greatly outclasses its competitors. More than one out of three women in charge of purchasing under 50 (FRDA-50), present in front of their television screen, were connected to a channel from Gilles Pélisson’s group in April 2022 (34.0%, +0, 7 points over one year). In ambush with 21.4%, the M6 ​​group is the only one to regress. The channels of the group based in Neuilly-sur-Seine lost, over one year, 2.3 points on this preferred target of advertisers. If France Télévisions is isolated in third place, with 15.0%, the battle is raging, on this target too, between the groups Next (6.9%) and Canal + (6.8%). NRJ brings up the rear with 2.8%.

« Clem » and « Grey’s Anatomy » weigh down TF1 on the 4+

In detail, the TF1 channel currently has a market share of 18.6% among individuals aged four and over. La Une shows a drop of 1.4 points over one year, the largest recorded for all channels combined, and confirms a complicated start to the year for the public as a whole. Small consolation, the chain progresses on the commercial target of 0.2 point, to reach 22.6%.

Politics is to be ranked among the successes of the month. The first channel largely outdistanced France 2, its main rival in this niche, during the two election evenings of Sundays April 10 and 24. The evening of the first round, which TF1 had chosen to shorten to rebroadcast « The visitors », recorded a score at the highest since 2007. The front page also supplanted its public service counterpart on Wednesday April 20, evening of the debate of the between-two-rounds opposing Emmanuel Macron to Marine Le Pen. Another safe bet this month, the farewell of « Research Section » seduced more than one in four viewers on Thursday, April 21. On the entertainment side, season 3 of « Mask Singer », broadcast since Friday April 1, has maintained, for its first five weeks of broadcast, above 20% of audience share (up to 21.0 % on Friday April 8) on the general public and performs on the FRDA-50 (up to 39.1% on Friday April 8).

Among the disappointments of the month, « Tomorrow belongs to us », constantly beaten by « Don’t forget the lyrics! », remains weak. The third entertainment box on Tuesday is not full either. Certainly unifying on the FRDA-50 target, « Koh-Lanta » is frozen below 20% on the 4+ in the first part. The program, presented by Denis Brogniart, only managed to cross the 4 million fan mark once this month, on Tuesday April 19. On Monday, the new season of « Clem » has, for its part, sealed the average of the A by gathering on average respectively 12.5% ​​and 13.5% of the whole public on Mondays April 4 and 11. The audience for « Grey’s Anatomy » is hardly more satisfactory for those aged 4 and over on Wednesdays (10.7% on average, for example, on Wednesday April 13). Note, finally, the small counter-performance of Julien Arnaud at « 13 Hours » of TF1, Friday April 29.

« Captain Marleau » on France 2 still crushes the competition

With 14.8% of audience share, France 2 is progressing, for its part, by 0.5 points over one year. La Deux was able to count on solid access. Thanks to the performances of maestro Kristofer, « N’oublie pas les mots » broke its season record in audience share on Tuesday, April 26 (21.1%) and achieved its best month of the season in audience share on its two numbers from Monday to Saturday with respectively 2.2 million viewers (16.3% of the public) at 6.40 p.m. and 3.2 million viewers (19% of the public) at 7.15 p.m. France 2 also released its golden egg hen on Friday. « Capitaine Marleau » crushed the competition on Friday April 8 with an audience share of over 30%. In the fiction department again, the launch of the new season of “Murders in Paradise” mobilized nearly one in five viewers on Monday April 11, and “Disturbing Disappearance”, at the top of the audiences, did well. Wednesday, April 13.

On the magazine side, note the audience record achieved, on Thursday April 28, by the issue of « Complément d’Enquête », devoted to accusations of sexual assault and rape targeting Patrick Poivre d’Arvor. The magazine, carried by Tristan Waleckx, achieved the feat that evening of attracting more viewers in the second half of the evening than « Special Envoy » broadcast before him in prime time. « Télématin », finally, offered an annual weekly record in audience share. Between Monday 25 and Friday 29 April, the first morning show in France attracted an average of 850,000 viewers, or 28.9% of the public.

France 2 nevertheless lost its smile, on Tuesday April 12, with the launch of its new documentary series « Mediterranean, the odyssey of life ». The flop of the month is to the credit of Faustine Bollaert. At the controls of the second issue of « A flirt and a dance », on Tuesday April 26, the presenter of « It starts today » gathered barely 1.16 million fans, thus ranking behind Manchester City – Real Madrid , Champions League semi-final offered encrypted on Canal+. Contrary to his scores in access, Nagui disappointed with « The 2022 Maestros tournament ». Broadcast on four consecutive Saturdays in prime time, the show only brought together, at best on Saturday April 23, 2.14 million singers, or 11.2% of the public.

M6 and France 3 weak

Behind, M6 and France 3 are neck and neck. With 8.7%, the chain led by Nicolas de Tavernost plunged 1.1 points over one year. On the FRDA-50 target, the decline is even sharper (13.9%, -1.9 points). In difficulty with its access led by « Chefs à domicile » since April 25 on the whole public as on the FRDA-50, the channel suffered from the poor performance achieved by « Pékin express » on the whole public. The final of the adventure game worn by Stéphane Rotenberg reached its historic low on Thursday April 14, despite holding up well on target. With three dedicated evenings – « NCIS » on Tuesday, « The Rookie » on Friday and « MacGyver on Saturday – M6 is also weakened this month by the weakness of the American series.

The chain can however be pleased with the scores of its Monday evening. The line-up, « Married at first sight »https://news.google.com/ »And if we met » – finds favor in particular with the FRDA-50. M6’s 35th anniversary party and the Feyenoord Rotterdam/OM match, the UEFA Conference League semi-final first leg, were also successful on Monday 11 and Thursday 28 April.

As usual, France 3 gives the change with its boxes dedicated to French fiction. « Face à face », the series with Claire Borotra and Constance Gay launched this winter, confirmed its good results on Tuesday (4.2 million viewers on average for the season). Original fact on Saturday, a rebroadcast of « Cassandre » gathered more viewers with a rebroadcast on April 23 than with a new one on April 16! Conversely, the public service channel is also plagued by difficulties with its access. The national « 19/20 » was at its lowest on Friday April 29. As a bonus, France 3 still does not find solutions on Monday. « Research heirs » like « Secrets d’histoire » do not meet their audience. On Thursday, La Trois suffered many setbacks with the documentary « Deneuve, Queen Catherine » on April 14 or the film « Tellement close » a week later. Les Bleues du XV de France also failed to boost the channel’s audience on Friday, April 22.

BFMTV and LCI jump over a year

BFMTV confirms its fifth place acquired last month. With an audience share of 3.9%, it is still ahead of France 5 (3.6%) and confirms its supremacy over its direct competitors. If the channel run by Marc-Olivier Fogiel does not set a new historic record (4.5% in March 2022), it is still maintaining a very high level. Driven by strong news, channel 15 distinguished itself thanks to several editorial « hits », such as the expected interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 20 April. Another highlight, the interview granted by Emmanuel Macron to Bruce Toussaint attracted, on April 11, 874,000 viewers on average, or 4.9% of the public.

Among its competitors, CNews passed the 2.0% audience share mark and rose by 0.2 points over one year. The channel, carried by Pascal Praud’s « L’heure des pros », however sees LCI growing in its rear view mirror. The TF1 group’s news channel jumped 0.6 points over one year to reach 1.7% audience share, and pushed back far behind its public rival. franceinfo: is credited in April 2022 with 1.0% audience share, still up by 0.3 points over one year.

Among the generalist channels, France 5 is therefore sixth, at 3.6%. Up 0.4 points over one year, the audience for the public service channel was boosted in particular by « C à vous ». On Wednesday April 18, the magazine run by Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine achieved its historic audience record with Emmanuel Macron (9.1%). The second part, « C à vous la suite », exploded on the same day, its historic record on both indicators. The rise is less spectacular for TMC. Channel 10 gained 0.1 audience points over one year (3.1%) and was ahead of Arte (2.9%) and C8 (2.6%), whose curve trajectories are similar. Among the DTT channels, two fell over one year: TFX (1.5%) and NRJ12 (1.1%).

April 2022 channel ratings