Groupe M6 is unveiling its 2025/26 broadcast season with a strategy that balances high-value live sports, essential French content, and digital integration. The company is positioning itself for a major viewership phase centered on global events.
Precisely, the sports rights secured by M6 form a core element of the new strategy. David Larramendy, Chairman of the Executive Board, stated the group is positioned ‘at the heart of a global event’, referencing its broadcast of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Company holds rights for 54 matches, anticipating high viewership. The broadcaster will also air the Champions League finals in 2026 and 2027, following the 10.3 million viewers who tuned in for the 2025 final.
The season’s programming blends established French franchises with new concepts. Guillaume Charles, Member of the Executive Board in charge of Programming and Content, said the group is ‘continuing to innovate while remaining true to our values of creativity, viewer connection and French identity’.
The fiction slate is strong, featuring the new daily series Nouveau Jour (New Day), a blend of soap and thriller filmed in Montpellier, alongside favorites like Scènes de Ménages and Caméra Café. Larramendy also confirmed M6‘s commitment to French creativity, stating, ‘We are proud to continue our commitment to French creativity. Fiction, news, documentaries, entertainment, magazines: our offering is more diverse, inclusive and rich than ever. It reflects the diversity of talent, ideas and voices that make up France today’.
New entertainment formats include the game show 99 à battre (99 to Beat) and the home restoration competition Ma rénovation est la plus belle de France (My renovation is the most beautiful in France). Famous chef Cyril Lignac also returns with a new culinary format.
The documentary lineup promises features on Céline Dion and Johnny Hallyday’s son, along with an exploration of French society following 100 years of migration [cite: 2.2]. Established shows like L’amour est dans le pré (Farmer Wants a Wife) and Pékin Express are returning, with several programs celebrating their 20th season in 2025.
Digital and linear complementarity
The strategy emphasizes digital reach through the M6+ streaming service, which provides on-demand access to the group’s sports and series content. Sister channels, including W9 and Gulli, also offer targeted programming. Larramendy noted that the digital offering ‘skilfully completes the linear, extends, enriches and dynamises it’.
The executive concluded that M6 is changing dimensions, reaffirming a vision of being ‘a bold, ambitious media group deeply rooted in the lives of French people’
