He does not hesitate to propose very powerful medicines

In its contribution to the Council, France television begins by saying that he has no opposition in principle to the proposed merger for better, then, its reasons for concern. There is "a non-negligible risk of agreement between pay-TV and free TV". Indeed, at least until 2007, the capital of the future Canal France will be divided between Vivendi, TF1, M6, and Lagardère. France Télévisions fears of coordinated actions of those shareholders who weigh on him "a real risk of eviction of the rights market. In particular rights premium on sport, cinema and audiovisual productions. Simply "a slight reduction of the amount of the rights of the Championship of France football for the bouquet to retrieve all of the portfolio of France television rights".

In sport, France television must both to defend its rights on the Tower of France and Roland-Garros, and ensure that it always rebroadcast "events of major importance" as the Olympic summer and winter games. A concern that is reflected by the fact he was unable to retransmit the final of the world handball Championship, as Canal , which held the rights, he proposed "prohibitive" financial conditions Finally, in football, he is reduced to associate with Eurosport (Group TF1) for the France Cup, and had to give up to participate in the current tender on Euro 2008. Some 40 million euros per lot, that's too expensive!

Acquisition of films and American series, "we are more, for a long time, at the stage of the presumption of agreement between the shareholders of the new set." "Indeed, these coordination mechanisms have already been effective in the past, and the merger will that systematize these practices".

For the French audiovisual production, France television is also concerned: "what guarantees can the public channels have that Lagardère production companies will not reserve their flagship programs to the new set and its shareholders."

At the distribution level, the public group is the "must carry" which requires the future bunch to resume all its channels. But all is not insured. The bouquet can unilaterally change the numbering of strings, and today, CanalSat or GST back the entire twenty-four regional stalls of France 3.

Removal of Canal in the clear

At the time, France television believes that severely oversee the merger. He does not hesitate to propose very powerful medicines. In the acquisition of rights, he asked including the prohibition of any purchasing policy and negotiations grouped between the new set and the shareholders, and the prohibition to facilitate traffic programs between pay-TV and free TV. In addition, he claims that Studio Canal has obligation to achieve one certain percentage of co-productions with free television other than shareholders in other words, France Televisions. Very worried by the possible collusion between the shareholders of Canal France, it asks that the merger between the two bouquets or very fast, and that in the meantime, the management of both platforms is entrusted to an independent agent. In addition, he asked the CSA to intervene to regulate the terms and conditions of purchase for a free chain the rights to events of major importance which Canal holds the rights. But its requirements do not stop there. It requires more or less the removal of the slices in clear of Canal . The argument : "France television considers that merged bouquet will step in on the only market for pay television: therefore, Canal will need to clarify its position putting an end to its slices in the clear." This slice was justified, at startup, by the need to improve the visibility of this new string. "The weight and the reputation of Canal , this objective seems more news today", concludes France television.