Thematic Channels: Diverse Audiences in a Changing Media Landscape
In an increasingly fragmented audiovisual landscape, thematic channels continue to perform strongly, reaching nearly 8 in 10 French people every month. Médiamétrie highlights their ability to build loyal communities around clearly identified and diverse interests, whether cinema, fiction and sport, which remain audience audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more favourites, or documentaries, music and animation.
Thematic channels continue to demonstrate their resilience. During the 2025-2026 season, more than 50 million people aged 4 and over watched at least one thematic channel channel A subset of the brand URLs that overlap with a single theme (e.g., news, e-mail, etc.); the channel audience contributes to the overall audience of the brand, which itself contributes to the overall audience of the Parent. Find out more each month, representing 79% of the French population population The universe of a survey composed of basic statistical units. These units may be physical persons, households, companies, municipalities, etc. The population serves as a sampling frame for selecting a sample, and as a basis for calculation of the extrapolations from the sample. Find out more . On a daily basis, thematic channels attracted a combined audience audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more of 12.5 million viewers. Analysis of audience figures reveals two major structural trends.
Series & Entertainment: A Strong Female Audience Audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more
For fans of fiction, drama series and studio entertainment shows, the “Entertainment & Series” segment remains a key destination. Representing the largest audience community within the thematic TV universe universe All the statistical units from which a survey sample is drawn. When these units are people, the universe is termed a population. Find out more , with nearly 5.8 million daily viewers, equivalent to 43.7% of the total thematic audience, this category displays a particularly distinctive demographic profile.
Its audience is characterized by a strong female presence. Women aged 15 and over account for nearly 60% of the audience throughout the season, compared with 46% across all thematic channels and 54% across television overall. Their engagement is also reflected in viewing time, as female viewers spend on average average The average is one of the most important statistical indicators for a set of numbers. By default, it is the arithmetic mean, calculated by adding the values in the set and then dividing that sum by the number of values. Find out more 50% more time watching these programmes than their male counterparts.
Sports: A Highly Engaged Male Community
At the opposite end of the spectrum, sports channels attract a markedly different audience profile. Passion for competition and live sporting events brings together a predominantly male community. Men aged 15 and over represent the core audience segment, accounting for 71% of viewers during the season.
Sports channels also record the highest concentration of higher socio-professional groups (CSP+), who represent one quarter of viewers. Moreover, the Sports segment has experienced remarkable growth within the thematic television universe. Its overall audience share audience share The audience share, or market share of an event (programme, advertising slot, channel, station, etc.) is the ratio of the average audience for that event and the average audience for the media over the same time slot. This gives an indicator of the relative performance of a channel or station relative to their competitors. Find out more increased from 16.1% to 21.1% between September 2025 and June 2026 compared with the previous season.
This growth was driven by a strong sports news agenda and enhanced editorial coverage coverage The audience accumulation over a long period (week, month, etc.) This is the number or percentage of people having had at least one contact, of any duration, with the media studied during the time period. It is calculated based on continuous panels. Find out more of major events such as the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup. It was also supported by the inclusion of a new player in audience measurement audience measurement Quantitative study of the frequency of use of media. Find out more : Ligue 1+ and its associated event channels, which had not previously been measured.
Youth and Music Channels: Driving Audience Rejuvenation
Unsurprisingly, Youth and Music channels are particularly attractive to younger viewers. Children and young adults display display Display Advertising, or Bannering, is the most traditional interactive advertising channel. The advertiser uses pre-set advertising spaces on websites (banner, skyscraper, IMU, leaderboard, etc.) Find out more highly specific viewing habits and tend to gravitate towards these dedicated environments.
Children aged 4 to 14 account for 29% of the Youth audience, while viewers under 35 represent 47%. Music channels are equally successful in attracting younger generations, with 15-34 year-olds representing 20% of their audience.
For these audiences, thematic television remains a highly targeted source of both learning and entertainment. Within the Youth segment, women and executives play a particularly influential role as parents who guide and shape their children's viewing choices.
Cinema and Discovery: Loyal Adult Audiences
Finally, the Cinema and Discovery segments cater to more mature viewers seeking cultural enrichment, escapism or deeper understanding.
Cinema channels attract nearly 2.3 million loyal film enthusiasts every day throughout the season, with a predominantly male profile. Meanwhile, although the Discovery segment experienced a slight decline in audience share, it still reached a community of 2.1 million daily viewers between September 2025 and June 2026.
These documentary enthusiasts are characterised by a strong interest in history, science and exploration, forming a loyal audience committed to their preferred thematic programming.
The analysis of the 2025-2026 season therefore confirms the distinctive characteristics of thematic television viewers. These audiences are defined by their loyalty to highly specific editorial territories. Whether they are sports fans, series enthusiasts, film lovers or curious young viewers, they all share one common trait: a preference for targeted, high-quality television content aligned with their personal interests.
Among these thematic channels are local television stations, which differentiate themselves from video-on-demand services through their strong local focus.
Local TV Channels: Rooted in Local Communities, Constantly Evolving
To attract viewers, broadcasters, whether regional newspaper groups or independent operators, focus on daily or continuous local news coverage coverage The audience accumulation over a long period (week, month, etc.) This is the number or percentage of people having had at least one contact, of any duration, with the media studied during the time period. It is calculated based on continuous panels. Find out more , sports, cultural and economic events, as well as audiovisual co-productions, particularly documentaries.
As these channels evolve, we continue to adapt our services while providing access to Médiamat audience measurement, the benchmark currency of the national advertising market.
To sustain their business model, local channels rely on support from regional and local authorities as well as private funding sources, including local and national advertising and branded content, such as short-form programmes and coverage coverage The audience accumulation over a long period (week, month, etc.) This is the number or percentage of people having had at least one contact, of any duration, with the media studied during the time period. It is calculated based on continuous panels. Find out more of local events.
As for the recent announcement by CMA Media that it may either sell or close its nine local BFM channels, it weakens and destabilises the sector while also demonstrating that a hybrid funding model based on both public and private financing remains essential to securing our future.
Future prospects also depend on Locales Plus, a national OTT distribution distribution This refers to the distribution of a variable; “structure” is also used with this meaning. In statistics, for each x value of a quantitative variable, the distribution function gives the proportion of individuals having a variable value that is less than or equal to x. Find out more platform providing access to channels operated by 18 independent broadcasters. Through a single gateway available on connected TVs, mobile apps, web browsers and telecom operators' set-top boxes, local television channels hope to increase their visibility across all connected screens and reach reach Reach is the term used to describe the reach achieved by a medium, publication, advertisement or campaign. It corresponds to the number of users reached and is therefore quantitative data. Reach plays a key role in measuring return on investment. It is used to determine whether or not the communication is effective. Whether for a website or a social network, reach corresponds to the proportion of the Internet user population or the audience reached by the site or network over a set period. Find out more audiences with increasingly diverse viewing habits.
Three Questions for Eric Brion, General Delegate of ACCES
In an increasingly diversified audiovisual landscape, how do thematic channels differentiate themselves in terms of audiences?
Thematic channels do not form a homogeneous group because they serve different audience audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more expectations and viewing habits. They occupy editorial territories that are often absent from, or insufficiently covered by, major international platforms.
Their distinguishing feature lies primarily in the nature of their relationship with audiences. Their objective is not simply to reach reach Reach is the term used to describe the reach achieved by a medium, publication, advertisement or campaign. It corresponds to the number of users reached and is therefore quantitative data. Reach plays a key role in measuring return on investment. It is used to determine whether or not the communication is effective. Whether for a website or a social network, reach corresponds to the proportion of the Internet user population or the audience reached by the site or network over a set period. Find out more the largest possible audience, but to unite communities around a strong editorial identity. In a world where platforms primarily rely on personalised recommendation systems, thematic channels continue to build relationships based on trust, proximity and loyalty. Their value is measured not only by audience volume but also by engagement and affinity affinity The ratio (expressed as a percentage or as an index) of the audience for a target to the total audience of a format, show, time slot, etc. The higher the affinity value, the higher the audience of the target is above the average. Find out more .
Faced with growing competition, what content offers and distribution distribution This refers to the distribution of a variable; “structure” is also used with this meaning. In statistics, for each x value of a quantitative variable, the distribution function gives the proportion of individuals having a variable value that is less than or equal to x. Find out more channels are available to broadcasters?
Thematic channels have become genuine media brands whose mission is to accompany audiences across every screen and every usage environment, wherever audiences may be.
This multi-distribution strategy combines traditional distribution platforms, OTT services, catch-up TV catch-up TV This refers to the TV viewing modes whereby a programme is watched on demand after its live broadcast. See Watch again, Catch-up, Time-shifted viewing. Find out more , AVOD services, FAST channels, connected TVs, YouTube and social media platforms, while remaining open to future environments that have yet to emerge.
Linear Linear This is when a live television program is watched exactly at the time it airs, in timeshifting (control over live TV) or private delay (personal recording). Find out more television continues to play a vital role as a driver of discovery, shared viewing experiences and audience loyalty. Digital Digital A signal is said to be digital if it can be represented by a series of discrete values that can be coded in binary as either 0 or 1. It is the opposite of analogue signal. Digital broadcasting has become the primary mode for television broadcasting, whether by cable, satellite, or even terrestrial. Find out more platforms, meanwhile, extend the viewing experience, attract new audiences and foster new consumption habits. This strategy increasingly extends beyond national borders, with programme and brand brand Brand is the “brand” level. A brand is a set of URLs which are identified by the same logo. A brand is a coherent ensemble from the user viewpoint, in particular given the graphic charter or brand universe. Find out more exports becoming major growth drivers.
What could constitute a sustainable economic model for thematic channels?
There is no single economic model, just as there is no single type of thematic channel channel A subset of the brand URLs that overlap with a single theme (e.g., news, e-mail, etc.); the channel audience contributes to the overall audience of the brand, which itself contributes to the overall audience of the Parent. Find out more . Depending on their positioning, channels combine distribution revenues, advertising, partnerships, rights exploitation, diversified activities, events and international expansion.
One development, however, is common across the sector: channels must now be considered as media brands. Competition is no longer simply between thematic channels themselves, or between television and streaming streaming A technical method of digitally transmitting data to enable the playback of a continuous flow of video and audio material. Unlike terrestrial or satellite TV broadcasting, this technology requires a two-way network (internet) to send periodic requests to the streaming server in order to receive video or audio micro-files. Find out more platforms. It is now between editorial brands capable of reaching audiences wherever they are.
In this context, audience measurement audience measurement Quantitative study of the frequency of use of media. Find out more becomes a major strategic issue. In the future, it will no longer be sufficient to measure a channel's audience on a single screen. What will matter is measuring and valuing the total audience of a media brand across all points of contact contact In media planning, a contact refers to an individual's exposure to an advertisement. In radio parlance, this is Opportunity to Hear (OTH) and for TV, Internet, press, cinema and poster advertisements, it is called Opportunity to See (OTS). Find out more . Cross-screen audience measurement will become the key reference.