France is unlike the United States when it comes to advertising. Hard-sell tactics do not work as well in the European country. However, TV commercials managed to carve their way into the hearts of both regulators and consumers alike. In 2023, the
reached around 3.4 billion euros. How does TV advertising withstand the cultural specificities and the test of time in France?
From skepticism to norm: TV ads' evolution
France started experimenting with broadcasting in 1931 and introduced color TV in 1967. Only in the following year did it allow private advertising, with two minutes of commercials per day on a single broadcast station. The 1980s, known as a renaissance or golden age for French TV ads, saw brands like Peugeot and Cooper Jeans releasing sleek, professional productions.
However, in 2009, then-president Nicolas Sarkozy reversed the more open policy of the last forty years and banned TV commercials during evening hours from four major public stations. In recent times,
24 percent of internet users in France still use TV ads as a source for brand and product discovery. Thus, despite internal cultural turbulences, TV continued to keep some relevance in the French ad industry amidst the consolidation of the digital sector.
Traditional TV going digital
Regardless of how differently France’s TV advertising development took place throughout the decades, the digital wave did not surpass its shores. In 2023,
digital video ad spending in the country reached an unprecedented high of 911 million euros. According to a survey conducted among advertisers in late 2023, the main investment driver for advanced TV was
confidence that it is a brand-safe environment and low on ad fraud. Another one was the fact that it provides opportunities to extend the reach of traditional TV campaigns. On the other hand, l
ack of awareness in organizations about what this type of TV inhibited decisions related to streaming services in France.
The French TV user
On the consumer side, in 2022, the small screen remained part of the daily life of the French. Almost
nine out of 10 French users chose the TV set as their preferred medium to watch video-on-demand (VoD) content. Around
40 percent of French TV viewers watched a TV show at an everyday or almost everyday frequency. Compared to other Western countries, France took a longer time – until the late 1960s – to allow the audiovisual form of product promotion to air freely on the screen. However, in 2023 the average French consumer
chose ad-supported but free TV content over the paid-for and ad-free one.
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