C8 sanctioned (again!) by Arcom for clandestine advertising
Arcom, the audiovisual regulator, announced this Tuesday that it had imposed a symbolic fine of one euro on the C8 channel for broadcasting clandestine advertisements in two Cyril Hanouna shows. This sanction comes a few weeks after the decision not to renew the channel's TNT frequency.
The broadcasts concerned
The programs in question are “PAF open to all with Baba” broadcast on December 1, 2023 and “Face à Hanouna” broadcast on February 4, 2024. In these broadcasts, sneakers worn by participants appeared in close-up with the clearly identifiable brand, a practice prohibited by the regulations on clandestine advertising.
C8 is the channel most often sanctioned by Arcom, accumulating 7,6 million euros in fines in eight years. In terms of clandestine advertising, the channel had already received a fine of 200.000 euros in June 2023 for similar offenses in Cyril Hanouna's broadcasts. Other channels such as Canal+, France 3, France 5, RMC Story and TMC have also been spotted for clandestine advertising, without however suffering financial sanctions.
This new symbolic sanction comes less than two weeks after Arcom's announcement not to renew C8's DTT frequency. From February 28, 2025, C8 will no longer be accessible on TNT. Officially, Arcom justified this decision by considerations linked to the pluralism of socio-cultural currents of expression.
Consequences for C8
Faced with these repeated sanctions, the management of C8 tried to convince Arcom by offering to broadcast “TPMP” on a delayed basis, thus making it possible to cut the problematic sequences before their broadcast. But this measure was not enough to convince the regulator.
Canal+, owner of C8, now has the possibility of appealing to the Council of State to contest Arcom's decision. If this approach fails, Canal+ will have to choose between turning off the channel or continuing its broadcast via other networks such as the Internet boxes of telecom operators or digital platforms like YouTube. However, broadcast outside of DTT would lead to a mechanical drop in audience numbers and, consequently, advertising revenues.
François Laroze, financial director of Vivendi, parent company of Canal+, downplayed the potential financial impact of this decision, saying that advertising revenues represent a minority share of the group's overall revenues. Nevertheless, he assured that Canal+ will fight to defend its position.
Hector M.
