Maya Lauqué's recent hosting of the 1 PM news segment on France 2 has stirred controversy following her first broadcast after the departure of Julien Bugier. On December 25, 2024, Lauqué led the newscast, which was significant as it coincided with Christmas Day, known for high television viewership.
The broadcast addressed several key issues, including disruptions on the TGV Paris Sud-Est line, caused by the unfortunate suicide of a train driver, leading to significant travel chaos during the holiday period. The program then transitioned to reporting on the re-sale of Christmas gifts online, highlighting contemporary consumer behavior during the festive season. Lauqué also presented coverage of the challenging Christmas experiences faced by residents of Mayotte, whose lives have been upended by natural disasters. Finally, singer Clara Luciani was featured at the end of the segment, celebrating her first major role on-screen.
Despite these engaging stories, the ratings for Lauqué's first show fell short of expectations, capturing only 1.28 million viewers and 15.1% market share among audiences aged four and older. This rating, which marked an increase of 1.1 points compared to the previous season with Nathanaël de Rincquesen at the helm, still starkly contrasts with the 2.26 million average viewership seen since September 9, when Bugier was the presenter.
Adding to the complications, France 2 was significantly impacted by Christmas services broadcast, mandated as part of France Télévisions' obligations, which resulted in lower engagement for the newscast. The show began with only 14.7% of the audience, dropping over 5 percentage points from its usual market share of 19.8%. Competing network TF1 dominated the airwaves, amassing 3.28 million viewers and 38.7% market share for their midday news segment with Jacques Legros, consistently maintaining its position as the leader.
Over the past year, France 2's viewership has dipped by 2.3 points, indicating systemic challenges for the network. Even with Lauqué's efforts to boost ratings, these figures underline the struggle to retain and grow the audience base, especially during such high-traffic viewing days.
After the disappointing results, the focus will now be on Lauqué's next appearance as she prepares to return for another edition of the 1 PM news on December 26, 2024. The newscast will once again provide updates and current event coverage, hoping to capture more viewers during this festive time.
Overall, Lauqué's early performance sends mixed signals—while her minor increase from Rincquesen’s tenure indicates potential, the overarching challenges presented by network competition and scheduling constraints leave considerable work yet to be done. The audience's tolerance for change remains to be tested as France 2 continues to adapt its programming strategies.
