Since January 2022, television channels have postponed the start of late-night programs. If the delays are a little less frequent, the programs are getting later and later.
The memory of the film that starts at 8:30 p.m. after the news is far away! Evening shows have had their schedules delayed for years and since January 2022 several channels have started the night at 9 pm, some even at 9:10 pm Everyone covets “prime time”, the first part of the evening , that is, the time when there are more viewers in front of the screen, traditionally between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
“Viewers regularly express their dissatisfaction with the broadcast schedules of late-night TV shows” explains the French public authority for the regulation of audiovisual and digital communication (Arcom). An hour too late that displeases many viewers who would like to go to bed earlier or be able to see the end of the film! Arcom takes this concern very seriously and ensures that “will be approaching the editors to discuss this issue with them”.
5 to 7 minutes late
The channels are obliged to respect the schedules announced in the press and on the Internet. From this point of view, the results of the observation carried out by Arcom in the first half of 2022 represent an improvement compared to 2021. The average delay in all free national channels is now 2 minutes 49 seconds. It was 4 minutes in September 2021.
donkey cap TMC
However, strong disparities persist from one channel to another, with four of them showing average delays of more than 5 minutes between the announced time of the program and its broadcast. TF1 and TMC were at the forefront of laggards with delays of up to 7+ minutes a year ago. They were followed by CStar, M6 and RMC Découverte which often exceeded the start of the program by 5 minutes. In the first half of 2022, the situation improved, but TMC is still the fool of the class with 6 minutes late, the Daily program overflows very often, followed by C8, RMC Story, RMC Discovery around 5 minutes.