Le Figaro: "Nicolas de Tavernost, Rodolphe Saadé's new "Mr Media"".

Three short weeks and then back again. The godfather of television will have had the shortest retirement in the history of television. After stepping down as chairman of the M6 group on April 23, Nicolas de Tavernost has just bounced back to CMA CGM, the group owned by billionaire Rodolphe Saadé. Proof that things aren't dragging on, the former M6 strongman starts work this Thursday. " His name's already on the door," says CMA CGM.

Nicolas de Tavernost will join Rodolphe Saadé's wife, Véronique Saadé, as vice-chairman of the new CMA Médias holding company, "and will draw on his experience to assist the group in its media activities, in the choice of investments and in the management of operations", explains a press release from shipowner CMA CGM. He will also chair the strategic committee. " He will bring his skills to the media team to support our diversification in the sector ", said Rodolphe Saadé.

The godfather of television had warned that he would not be content to " sweep away the flies " in his château in the Ain region. Two days after leaving the M6 group, he was appointed vice-chairman of GL Events, the events group in which he was already an independent director. In agreeing to join Rodolphe Saadé, he moves into a more operational position. " It's a great opportunity. Rodolphe Saadé has acquired a major industry player," says one industry insider. It would seem that the violent controversy surrounding a front page of his newspaper La Provence, which led to a strike and a vote of no-confidence among the editorial staff, was the catalyst," says a reliable source. Rodolphe Saadé realized that the media couldn't be managed like containers. He couldn't do what he wanted, when he wanted. He needed an experienced media professional . The shipowner wasn't the only one courting the "big wild beast" of the PAF. Xavier Niel, the founder of Free, and Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, among others, are said to have made approaches.

In any case, this recruitment must be interpreted in the light of the shipowner's ambitions in the media. The Franco-Lebanese businessman already owns the La Tribune newspaper and the La Provence group (regional dailies La Provence and Corse Matin). CMA CGM also holds minority stakes in M6 (11%), where Véronique Saadé has a seat on the supervisory board, as well as in the video medium Brut. Above all, CMA CGM is about to enter the French broadcasting industry through the front door, with the acquisition of Altice Media (BFMTV, BFM Business, BFM Régions, RMC Story and RMC), for which it did not hesitate to spend 1.55 billion euros in cash.

Nicolas de Tavernost will concentrate on the strategic management of CMA Médias. The new holding company will eventually encompass all the group's media activities. On the one hand, it will integrate the shipowner's press division, WhyNot Media, managed by Jean-Christophe Tortora, with Véronique Saadé as non-executive Chairman. On the other, the audiovisual division, in principle managed by Arthur Dreyfuss, CEO of Altice France, following the acquisition of Altice Media.

The completion of this takeover is one of the first major projects facing Nicolas de Tavernost. The deal must be completed by the summer, or it will fail. Like some fifteen other channels, BFMTV has just submitted an application to renew its authorization to broadcast on DTT. Once the frequency has been reallocated, by law BFMTV cannot be resold for the next five years. There's also the matter of BFMTV being overtaken by CNews," observes one audiovisual player. It was a good move to recruit Nicolas de Tavernost : he knows how to navigate in rough weather. "

CMA CGM, which has made no secret of its desire to continue shopping in the media sector, has its sights set on buying the M6 group... a company that Nicolas de Tavernost knows inside out, having spent 37 years there. Rodolphe Saadé is already a minority shareholder. And he attempted to buy the Bertelsmann subsidiary in 2022, alongside producer Stéphane Courbit and businessman Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière (Fimalac), after the merger between TF1 and M6 was abandoned.

" If that's the objective, it's a highly risky gamble," says an audiovisual expert. As it stands, it is impossible to sell Groupe M6 until 2032. And unless the law is amended, the matter will be blocked. Yet the government's priority is clearly its plan to merge the public broadcasting sector. For the time being, no provision has been made within the framework of its audiovisual reform to reduce the deadline for reselling a DTT frequency... The Senate could call for a change. But there are strong headwinds. Behind the scenes, TF1 is working hard to ensure that frequency resales are not made easier. The Bouygues subsidiary has realized that it cannot consolidate, or only at the margin. " It therefore has no interest in seeing its competitors grow stronger," explains the expert.

Nicolas de Tavernost is a connoisseur of the inner workings of political power, and a fervent fighter against the regulatory locks that have hobbled the sector for years. He is well aware of the uncertainties surrounding a possible change in the law. He dreams of being able to come back one day with a buyer from the M6 group," confides a senior audiovisual executive. But he knows that this project remains highly hypothetical. If he's finally decided to work for Rodolphe Saadé, it's because he's got a great challenge on his hands with the integration of BFMTV, at a time when important electoral deadlines are looming, CNews is making progress and the climate in France is almost insurrectionary. It's the kind of challenge that motivates him . Above all, he adds, " Nicolas de Tavernost has an almost visceral need : to work. " Retirement will have to wait. Once again.

Read the article on www.lefigaro.fr

By Caroline Sallé

Published May 15, 2024