Nicolas de Tavernost, the outgoing chairman of M6, starred in one of the conferences on the last day of Series Mania Forum. The executive specified that it is probably his ‘last appearance’ after more than 30 years of career in the company.
The executive was on stage at the Lille market to refer to the local laws that prevented the merger of M6 with TF1, expressing that ‘measures are urgently needed to protect the European regional industry’, since the current ones are ‘absurd’.
‘When you see mergers in other parts of the world and here in France we cannot do it because we are restricted by the laws, it is frustrating’, he said. ‘I am totally in favor of consolidation, but so far it has not been possible with TF1’.
The executive believes that the evolution of the audiovisual and streaming sector in France has not been ‘as great as it should’ because ‘the laws are not well written and that has consequences for the growth of an industry that generates many jobs’.
Tavernost took advantage of the Forum to call on media companies in France to ‘invest in streaming’ and prevent the industry from being ‘taken over by international players’.
He commented on initiatives being undertaken by other countries in the region, such as the upcoming UK launch of Freely, a broadband platform for live TV backed by leading British broadcasters. ‘They are models that we should follow.’
