With a total audience share of 10.8 per cent (compared to 11 per cent in 2008), M6 is the only major channel to hold on to its audience, faced with the strong growth of DTT channels, posting the best results among the major channels for the second consecutive year.
The year was marked by a daring move by general-interest channel M6 to change its evening news format – a risk that paid off. Launched on 7 September 2009, M6’s new evening news, Le 19.45, is the only programme of this type to increase its ratings, gaining 200,000 viewers (2.5 million viewers between September and December 2009 as compared to September-December 2008).
Presented durng the week by Claire Barsacq, M6’s new evening news Le 19.45 was successfully launched on 7 September 2009
M6 also managed to create a major TV event by broadcasting a World Cup football qualifying match for the first time. The channel drew 8.2 million viewers for the Ireland-France match, placing M6 in the number one spot with the entire prime-time viewing audience on 14 November 2009. M6 obtained a record audience for 2009 with this televised match.
The Ireland-France match on 14 November 2009 drew a record audience of 8.2 million viewers for M6
M6 achieved an excellent performance in the 20:40-24:00 time slot and was the only major channel to increase its ratings in the evening, a gain of 100,000 viewers from one year to the next. Furthermore, the channel counted 106 evenings with more than 4 million viewers this year as compared to 89 evenings in 2008. In the first part of the evening, M6 has never been the leader so often with viewers under 50, with 80 evenings in the number one spot as compared to 59 in 2008.
M6’s emblematic programmes continue to draw a greater number of viewers. This is the case with Capital and Zone Interdite (a gain of 100,000 viewers in prime time on Sunday), Season 7 of La Nouvelle Star (+200,000 viewers), Season 4 of Bones (+100,000 viewers) and Season 4 of L’amour est dans le pré (+300,000 viewers).
W9 has posted excellent figures for 2009 with an average total audience share of 2.5 per cent nationwide. The channel has continued to increase its ratings, achieving a record audience for the month nationwide. In December 2009, W9 obtained an average audience share of 2.9 per cent, placing it in the number one spot among DTT channels for this period.
Marc Cerrone, Julie Zenatti and Alain Lanty are the jury members of X Factor, a 2009 big success on W9. On the right, the presenter Alexandre Devoise.
With 69 out of the 100 highest DTT audience ratings in 2009, W9 drew a record number of viewers, especially with the feature film Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1.4 million viewers on 9 March 2009), the documentary series Le convoi de l’extrême (1.3 million viewers on 29 January 2009), the film OSS 117 – Le Caire nid d’espions (1.2 million viewers on 18 October 2009) and the series The Simpsons (1.2 million viewers on 18 October 2009). The cherry on the cake: W9 holds the audience record in DTT with 1.5 million viewers for the film Astérix et les Vikings on 27 October 2009.
After becoming the first DTT channel to make a breakthrough by accessing Médiamat national one year ago, W9 is the first and only channel to broadcast a hit major television event, namely X Factor, which drew up to 900,000 viewers.