TF1 maintained its position as the leading television channel in France for the year 2024, scoring 18.7% audience share, showing only a slight increase of 0.1 points, even amid the intense competition posed by the Paris Olympic Games.
According to Médiamétrie, France 2 followed closely with 15.8% audience share, up from 15.3% the previous year, albeit with measurements conducted differently. For news channels, BFMTV and CNews reached equal audience shares at 2.9%, marking the first time CNews achieved this level for a full year after surpassing BFMTV multiple times recently.
CNews emphasized its growth, claiming to be "the channel experiencing the most significant growth across all networks over the year." Meanwhile, BFMTV highlighted its dominance with 12.6 million daily viewers on average, reflecting its longstanding reputation.
The contrasting audience measurement introduced on January 1, 2024, accounted for all locations, all devices, and covered audiences both with and without TV sets, complicates direct comparisons to previous years.
Notably, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was the top-rated program for 2024 and the highest ever seen on French television, attracting 23.2 million viewers live, plus another 1.2 million who viewed it on replay, totaling 24.4 million.
France 2 also outshone TF1 through July and August, leveraging the popularity of the Tour de France and the Olympics before TF1 reclaimed its leading position from September onward. Among fiction programming, TF1's season four premiere of the hit series "HPI" attracted 9.7 million viewers.
BFMTV again led cumulative audience numbers and continued to assert its dominance, boasting comprehensive coverage of everyday viewing.
Other key figures showed France 3 securing the third spot with 8.9% market share, followed by M6 with 7.8%. A report on January 7, 2025, confirmed the absence of the game shows "Chacun son tour" and "Tout le monde veut prendre sa place" due to extraordinary programming commemorations of the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks.
On this significant date, France 2 aired special coverage led by Julian Bugier. The programming included commemorative ceremonies and discussions about the impact of the attacks, including insights from survivors and experts on terrorism.
This special framing of the anniversary reinforced the public sensitivity surrounding media representation of violence and freedom of expression, urging viewers to critically engage with how current events relate to past tragedies.
Following the commemorative coverage, additional programming aligned with the theme was aired on other networks, including M6's documentary titled "Attentats 2015, ce qui nous lie" and other special broadcasts on TMC.