On television, lack of debate penalizes political emissions

During the presidential campaign, the hearings appear sharply compared to the same period of 2017. The lack of suspense and the lack of confrontation between the main candidates explain this disinterest.

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Does the French are interested in the presidential election of April 10 and 24? While brightening for the first time its election evening of the first round at 9:20 pm, to schedule the visitors, TF1 in the stride, gives a first index of a form of weariness. “The uses, tastes and expectations of viewers have evolved,” justified the boss of information, Thierry Thuillier, with AFP. C8 sank the nail, renouncing purely and simply to the two presidential evenings promised by Cyril Hanouna. While information chains, radios and digital platforms (like Twitch or Instagram) compete with candidates, large political parties are struggling to pull their game pin.

It must be said that the context does not help. In 2017, the campaign had been animated by the Fillon case and the dazzling emergence of Emmanuel Macron. This time she was jostled by the pandemic of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. “The public is not as enthusiastic as five years ago. The political offer is not up to it. There is this impression that the match is already folded, not counting critics on the media themselves same “, Sécail clear analysis, media historian and researcher at the CNRS.

Corollary of this phenomenon: Hearings are steaming. In “Elysee 2022”, March 3rd on France 2, Marine Le Pen attracted only 1.89 million viewers (9.1% share of hearing), much less than the 3.4 million people. ‘five years ago. The emission “France against the war” on March 14 on TF1, where eight postulants to the Supreme Judiciary answered the questions of Anne-Claire Coudray and Gilles Bouleau, convinced 4.21 million people, against 9.8 million viewers for the debate of five years ago, when five candidates had clashed. “There is not much premium times that bring together as many people on Monday night,” Thierry Thuillier retorts.

“Appointments with the French have a side” Fake “and Eculate. The experts give an impression of somme. The only format that works, finally, it is the debate”, analysis Gaspard Gantzer, Former head of the press of François Hollande, now at the head of a communication agency. Except that the confrontation between candidates is a rare value on the television trays.

“We do the case by case, depending on the subjects”

Until 2017, this kind was vested with the two-tours. Five years ago, TF1 innovates: François Fillon, Benoît Hamon, Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron will scrape on the plateau. It’s a carton. Five years later, the contenders to the Elysee do not really want to renew the exercise, or at homeopathic dose, only if their score in the surveys requires it. “When we propose this format to the candidates, they are more or less inclined to do so, they do not have this practice,” recognizes the director of information from France Télévisions, Laurent Guimier.

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/Media reports.