2023-10-06 13:08:27
Published on Oct. 6, 2023 at 8:51 a.m. Updated on Oct. 6, 2023 at 3:08 p.m.
A priori, this is not one of the most promising segments. With 2.5 million copies on average in 2022 according to the ACPM, the Sunday press market is much narrower than that of weekday dailies. The French distribution system is poorly suited to this day for the national press and the regional daily press (PQR) has occupied this niche well, two factors which explain why the national Sunday press is less established in France than in other countries. .
In recent years, this niche has experienced moderate erosion, partly due to the dynamism of certain leaders, such as “Ouest-France” (at the top of PQR sales) and “Le Parisien”, which recorded increases for their Sunday editions in a bear market in 2022 (-3.4%). At the same time, the circulation of “JDD” fell by almost 8%, even if it now seems to be gaining momentum once more with its new positioning.
Strong competition
In this context, “Le Parisien – Today in France” and “JDD” sharpen their weapons in order to wage a new fight, while a new entrant emerges.In the orbit of shipowner Rodolphe Saadé, “La Tribune” returns to newsstands this October 8 with “La Tribune Dimanche”, a new general newspaper. Other rivals are also present, such as “L’Equipe” on sport, as well as around thirty PQR titles.
The idea of a return of “La Tribune” to a printed version on weekends predated the editorial repositioning of “JDD” this summer. “This might also have been done in a magazine format,” confides Jean-Christophe Tortora, president of “La Tribune”. The transformation of “JDD”, however, left space for a less politically marked newspaper. Once the takeover by CMA CGM was finalized in July, the decision to go out on Sundays was taken.
Berlin format
For its first issue, “La Tribune Dimanche”, printed by Riccobono in Tremblay and by the new “La Provence” printing house, within the same CMA CGM group, printed 120,000 copies. Almost as much as the average sales of “JDD” last year, but significantly less than “Le Parisien – Today in France Dimanche”. At cruising speed, the publisher would be satisfied with selling around 30,000 copies, at a price of 2.40 euros, a little more expensive than its competitors. The media can already count on its 20,000 digital subscribers, who will also have access to the PDF on Sundays.
Associated with the economy, “La Tribune” must succeed in expanding its readership on Sundays. A major challenge. Around fifteen journalists were recruited, particularly in politics. They are in addition to the 40 journalists already present (half of whom are in the regions) for the Web edition, who will also contribute to the Sunday edition. The investment made by CMA CGM remains confidential, but Jean-Christophe Tortora aims to break even “following two years” for the Sunday edition.
Counterattack of rivals
The competition strikes back. In addition to “JDD”, which increased its pagination to 48 pages, which fell to 32 pages in August, “Le Parisien” (within the same group as “Les Echos”, owned by LVMH) is plowing its furrow. “Our Sunday edition is already very strong, with a lot of political interviews in recent months,” underlines its general director, Sophie Gourmelen. To enrich it further, eight additional pages and new thematic sections are protected. »
Four pages will be dedicated to the Paris Olympics. A new version of “Parisien Weekend” is also being launched this Friday. For the management, this will make it possible to offer advertisers a presence for three days, by including both the “mag” format on Friday and the Saturday and Sunday editions.
“Having a richer offering on Sunday can be beneficial for the market,” believes Raphaël de Andréis, president of Havas France (Vivendi), which is also responsible for the launch campaign for “La Tribune Dimanche”. “It institutionalizes the idea that today is a great moment for the press rather than a weekend appendix. »
To prepare the ground, in recent weeks, Jean-Christophe Tortora, the deputy director in charge of “La Tribune Dimanche” Bruno Jeudy (formerly of “JDD”) and their teams have in any case traveled the country to meet readers. “The French people we saw believe that Sunday should be a somewhat sanctified day, where they want to read a newspaper that is calming, not anxiety-provoking,” confides Jean-Christophe Tortora. Our newspaper will not run for anyone, it will be faithful to current events. He wants to play a central position. »
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