The prospect of a dissolution of Salto is approaching, France Télévisions having acted Friday before its authorities its disengagement from the platform, which it holds equally with M6 and TF1 and which needs a buyer to survive.
“The dissolution” and the “cessation of activities” of the platform launched in October 2020 were on the agenda of an extraordinary central social and economic committee (CSE) of France Télévisions. “The dissolution is not recorded, if it is it will not be before the authorities of France Télévisions but before those of Salto”, explained Antoine Chuzeville, SNJ union representative at the central CSE.
A candidate Spanish company
On the other hand, the president of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte, confirmed Friday that “we must sell Salto”, taking note of the disagreements between the three shareholders and the desire of TF1 “to disengage, to no longer put in money”, reported the elected union representative. “If there is no buyer in the days or weeks to come, it will be the dissolution,” he added.
Because if no deadline is set for the recovery and that the public group would like to “save Salto”, there is no question of leaving the “employees in expectation”, according to the comments reported by Antoine Chuzeville. According to the investigation site L’Informé, only a Spanish company, Agile, is a candidate for a takeover of the platform in its entirety. And the management of France Télévisions considers a cut-out sale unlikely, according to Antoine Chuzeville.
A crowded area
Salto currently employs 42 people on permanent contracts, and 8 fixed-term contracts. Among them, some came from shareholder companies and will be, in the event of dissolution, “taken over by the original company”, according to Antoine Chuzeville. Those who had been recruited directly by Salto will be “offered positions within the three audiovisual companies”.
Supposed to compete with the American streaming giants, the platform, which planned to reach one million subscribers at the end of 2022, is suffering from the congestion in the sector and the annulment of the marriage between TF1 and M6.
One March 2022, TF1 et M6 had undertaken to buy, in the event of union, the participation of France Télévisions in the offer of video on demand, for 45 million euros, that is to say the sum missing from the public group to complete its 2023 budget. Friday, the elected representatives of France Télévisions “have called for the emergence of a digital platform for public broadcasting” bringing together France Televisions, TV5 World or untilaccording to Antoine Chuzeville.