Macron tweet signals France 4 axe U-turn

The delayed closure of pubcaster France Télévisions’ children’s and youth channel France 4 this summer looks to be off altogether following the intervention of French president Emmanuel Macron.

Delphine Ernotte Cunci

The politician tweeted his support for the channel yesterday, praising the impact it has had on families, especially during the pandemic.

Macon added he hoped it will “continue its mission” as a linear channel, airing children’s and youth content during the day and focusing on culture in the evening, as part of the pubcaster’s Culturebox strand.

Delphine Ernotte, president of France Télévisions, replied to Macron on Twitter, thanking him and saying: “It is a mark of confidence for the public service and its employees who work every day in the service of our viewers. We are very honoured to continue this mission for young people and culture.”

This comes after the controversial closure of France 4 as a linear channel had been rescheduled for this summer having been delayed by a year in August 2020 because of the pandemic.

France 4 has been relied upon to provide educational and youth programming to young audiences at home in France, particularly those without access to the internet, since the pandemic began.

The news will be welcomed by France’s considerable animation and children’s production community, which has been against France 4’s closure since it was first announced by the French government to cut costs at the pubcaster in 2018.

Even before the coronavirus crisis, the French government had faced continued criticism from the local animation industry for the decision to close France 4, with some describing it as “suicidal.”

Since then, France Télévisions has prepared for the closure by focusing its efforts on its digital transformation amid a major restructure, led by the launch of its new VoD services Okoo and Lumni. The group has previously said investment in these platforms will continue as children’s viewing habits shift online.

However, the local production community felt shutting down the pubcaster’s children’s channel was a premature move and having their shows air on a dedicated linear network was still vital to building an audience.