France Télévisions Executive Accuses Bolloré Media of 'Creeping Privatization'

Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez, deputy general director of France Télévisions, has accused media outlets controlled by conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré of orchestrating a hostile campaign to privatize French public broadcasting. Speaking to the Association of Media Journalists, Sitbon-Gomez described the effort as a counter-offensive following the 2025 shutdown of Bolloré’s C8 channel. He criticized a recent report by MP Charles Alloncle, which recommends merging channels France 2 and France 5 and eliminating France 4. Sitbon-Gomez argues these changes would free up frequencies for private groups like Canal+ to monopolize public service assets. While Alloncle denies links to Bolloré or intent to privatize, leaders from both France Télévisions and Radio France warn that the proposals threaten media independence. Radio France President Sibyle Veil stated the report serves those wishing to suffocate public broadcasting budgetarily or place it under political supervision, likening the proposed appointment mechanisms to authoritarian state media controls. The controversy arises amidst ongoing debates about the role of public media as a democratic agora.