Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez, Deputy General Manager of France Télévisions, has reportedly said that layoffs may be on the table for the PSB’s staff as a result of budget constraints, anytime between May 2026 and the French presidential elections in 2027.
According to an Advanced Television report, the comment was made during the Association of Media Journalists (AJM) in Paris.
The output and editorial strategy executive warned: “In 2025, we suffered three budget cuts. In 2026, we had two. When I arrived in 2015, the cost of national network was €1.07bn; it fell to €852m in 2026. France Télévisions, which is going to know its allowed budget by the end of the year, cannot fulfil the same missions with less money.”
“If France Télévisions just applies its investment obligations in cinema, we will go from €65m to €53m in investment, or about 15 fewer films. This can go even further, because France Télévisions is co-financing a diversity of films. In 2027, the entire French cultural ecosystem can collapse heavily.
“We are faced with currents of political opinion that want to weaken the cultural exception and cultural sovereignty, playing finally the game of American groups. If in the end, Netflix finds itself the leading investor of production in France, the prediction of Canal+ CEO, Maxime Saada, who said that French creation will become American, will come true.”
France Télévisions and YouTube recently formed a strategic partnership to broaden access to public service content and combat disinformation. Discover more here.
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