France Télévisions has started 2026 with a series of historic audience records, cementing its position as the leading free streaming offer in France. According to data released by the pub-caster, the group has achieved unprecedented growth across three key pillars: its main streaming platform france.tv, its regional digital operations, and its scripted fiction slate.
January 2026 marked a new all-time high for the broadcaster’s digital ecosystem. The france.tv platform attracted 43 million unique visitors during the month, representing a year-on-year increase of 19%. This surge added 7 million new unique video users compared to the same period in 2025.
The growth was largely driven by a dominant performance in scripted content. In January, France Télévisions titles occupied all ten spots in the top 10 most-streamed programs across all French channels. Leading the charge were the mini-series Il était deux fois and the adaptation of Le Comte de Monte-Cristo.
Scripted content has proven to be the primary catalyst for the group’s digital transition. Since the start of the broadcasting season in September 2025, fiction titles have generated a total of 250 million video views on france.tv.
The broadcaster highlighted the changing consumption habits of its audience, noting that preview and replay windows are becoming essential. The daily drama Un si grand soleil now sees one in four viewers watching via non-linear platforms—a fourfold increase since its launch. The show has accumulated 187 million views this season, with non-linear usage jumping 30%.
Meanwhile, the mini-series Il était deux fois set a platform record for the best historical start for a fiction title. Released as a digital preview on December 26, 2025, it garnered nearly 5 million views before its linear broadcast on France 2.
Beyond national fiction, France Télévisions’ regional network also reported a record-breaking 2025. The 13 regional antennas combined for 1.2 billion video views across all platforms over the calendar year.
The group’s ‘proximity’ strategy appears to be paying off in both digital and linear formats. The regional news websites accumulated 990 million visits in 2025, a 25% increase from the previous year, averaging 3 million visits per day. On linear television, the flagship local news block ICI 19/20 maintained a strong foothold with an average of 2.1 million daily viewers and a 14.7% audience share.
The signal also found success with niche local formats, including ‘Slow TV’ initiatives. A livestream of a deer rut in Rambouillet forest attracted 375,000 views in September, while a similar event covering the high tides at Mont-Saint-Michel drew over 166,000 views in November.
