TF1 to take action against Vivendi’s Canal+ over decision to stop airing its programmes

PARIS (Reuters) -French television group TF1 will take action against Vivendi’s pay TV unit Canal+ over a decision to no longer air TF1’s television channels, TF1 Secretary General Didier Casas told franceinfo radio.

“The impact on our viewing figures is extremely high which is causing us a damage we won’t accept”, Casas said.

Franceinfo reported TF1 was preparing a lawsuit against Canal+.

When contacted by Reuters, a TF1 spokeswoman said the group was “seriously considering” legal action.

Canal+ last week said it ended the partnership because the price TF1 was asking for continuing to deliver its programmes was too high.

Casas on Monday said the move affected some ten million viewers.

TF1 is also very confident its merger with broadcaster M6 will go ahead, he said, as the French competition authority is holding hearings on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6.

“It is a complex issue but we are very confident,” he said, adding that TF1 could make some concessions, such as selling “a certain number of channels”, if necessary.

France’s antitrust watchdog said in March it was launching an in-depth review of the merger of TF1 and M6, the country’s top two listed broadcasters amid concern over some competitive issues, especially in regard to the advertising market.

The combined entity would control more than three-quarters of the country’s TV advertising.

TF1 and M6 owners, French conglomerate Bouygues and Germany’s Bertelsmann, respectively, want to combine the broadcasters in a bid to fend off the rise of video platforms such as Netflix.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, editing by Tassilo Hummel and Louise Heavens)