Groupe M6
French media broadcaster
Métropole Télévision SA, commonly known as M6 Group (French: Groupe M6), is a French media holding company. It was formed around the commercial television channel M6, launched in March 1987 by the CLT (RTL Télévision) and La Lyonnaise des Eaux.
In addition to its audiovisual and digital media presence, some of the group's television channels are operated (including M6, W9, 6ter, Paris Première, Téva, Série Club) radio stations (RTL, RTL2 and Fun Radio), and film and television production and distribution companies. The company has also been presenting information and services on the Internet, including online video and computer companies. Since 1999, the group has also diversified into publishing, music and show production, distance selling, and sport with the Football Club of the Girondins de Bordeaux.
In May 2021, M6 Group and TF1 Group announced that they had begun negotiations for a proposed merger. On 16 September 2022, the merger was officially abandoned. On 22 September 2022, Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group's parent company, Bertelsmann confirmed that Groupe M6 was up for sale, after the failed merger with TF1 Group. On 3 October 2022, RTL Group confirmed that they would not be selling their stake in Groupe M6.
01Assets
Television
| Channel | Description | Stake | Launched | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M6 | Broadcast network | 100% | 1 March 1987 (replaced TV6) | |
| W9 | Youth entertainment and musical channel launched for DTT | 31 March 2005 | ||
| 6ter | Generalist family channel launched for DTT | 12 December 2012 | ||
| Paris Première | Generalist and cultural interest Pay-TV channel Available on Pay-DTT, with FTA programs |
15 December 1986 | 6 May 2004 | |
| Téva | Pay-TV channel targeting a female audience | 6 October 1996 | 2007 | |
| M6 Music | Musical pay-TV channel | 5 March 1998 | ||
| Série Club | Pay-TV channel dedicated to TV series | 50% TF1 Group, 50% M6 Group | 8 March 1993 | |
| M6 Suisse | Swiss subfeed, available in free-to-air on satellite | 100% (advertising window operated by Goldbach Media) | 2 October 2001 | |
| W9 Suisse | 2 August 2011 | |||
| 6ter Suisse | 2014 |
International
| Channel | Description | Launched | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|
| M6 International | International version of M6, outside Europe | 2019 |
Former channels
All these channels used to be on Pay-TV.
| Channel | Description | Stake | Launched | Ceased | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fun TV | Music channels | 100% | 22 February 1997 | 31 December 2008 | |
| M6 Music Black | 10 January 2005 | 4 January 2015 | |||
| M6 Music Club | 20 January 2009 | ||||
| M6 Music Rock | 10 January 2005 | 20 January 2009 | |||
| M6 Boutique | TV shopping channels | 100% (via Home Shopping Service) | 19 May 1998 | 1 July 2020 | |
| Best of Shopping | 1 October 2003 | ||||
| Girondins TV | Channel dedicated to FC Girondins de Bordeaux | 100% (via FC des Girondins de Bordeaux) | 14 August 2008 | 30 October 2018 | |
| TF6 | Generalist family channel | 50% TF1 Group, 50% M6 Group | 18 December 2000 | 31 December 2014 | |
| Telekanal Deda Moroza | Russian children channel, available every year for the Christmas and holiday season | 1 December 2013 | 2019 |
Radio
The Groupe M6 acquired RTL France on 1 October 2017, from its main shareholder RTL Group.
| Radio | Description | Stake | Launched | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTL | Generalist | 100% | 15 March 1933 | 1 October 2017 |
| RTL2 | Pop-rock music | 6 January 1992 | ||
| Fun Radio | Youth-oriented and dance music | 2 October 1985 |
Video platforms
On 19 March 2008, M6 launched its first catchup service, M6 Replay. On 4 November 2013, M6 Replay, W9 Replay and 6ter Replay were merged into 6play. In late 2017, RTL radios joined 6play. 6play was declined in Belgium and Croatia as RTL Play, and in Hungary as RTL Most.
On 14 May 2024, 6play became M6+ and is now using the same platform as Germany’s RTL+ as they are developed by streaming technology company Bedrock co-owned by Groupe M6 and RTL Group.
| Service | Description | Stake | Launched | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M6+ | Catchup, live TV, radio and video on demand. Available in Germany and Hungary as RTL+ |
100% (via M6 Web) | 4 November 2013 | |
| Gulli Replay | Catchup, available on TV providers, and Gulli mobile app Gulli is also available on M6+. |
100% (via Jeunesse TV) | April 2010 | 2 September 2019 |
| Gulli Max | Children SVOD service, available in OTT, as the premium option on Gulli mobile app, on Prime Video Channels, and various providers, included in some offers such as the Famille bouquet of Canal+ | 2014 |
M6 Group was a shareholder of the streaming service Salto as a joint-venture with TF1 Group and France Télévisions, active from 2020 to 2023.
Film
- M6 Films, film co-production
- M6 Studio, film production
- Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC), film catalog
- SND, formerly known as Société Nouvelle de Distribution or SND Films, film distribution and production
- M6 Vidéo, home video distribution division
- Studio 89 Productions, formerly known as W9 Productions, television production
- C. Productions, television news production
- M6 Formats, distribution arm of Studio 89's original programmes
- Golden Network, digital content
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Groupe M6”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- M6Groupe2023.svg by Groupe M6, Public domain
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