M6 METROPOLE TELEVISION: First Quarter 2026 Financial Information
Audiences’ shares and operating margin growth in Q1 2026
M6 METROPOLE TELEVISION (Paris:MMT):
HIGHLIGHTS
- Audience share of the Group’s four free-to-air channels up 0.4 percentage points to 20.6%1 in the 25-49 age bracket
- Growth in EBITA and operating margin
- Strong growth in streaming revenue and a 14% increase in unique users on the M6+ platform
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RTL: Highest growth of the mainstream radio stations in January-
March 2026
- Q1 2026 revenue2: €297.7 million (vs €314.9 million in Q1 2025, down 5.5%)
- 23.6% increase in streaming revenue accounting for 12.7% of Video Division revenue (vs 9.9% in Q1 2025)
- Consolidated EBITA3 increased by €1.0 million (vs Q1 2025) to €49.1 million
- Improvement in the operating margin in Q1 2026 to 16.5% (+1.2 percentage points vs. Q1 2025)
OUTLOOK
-
Exclusive broadcast of free-to-air FIFA World Cup matches from
11 June 2026 - Expectations of strong viewership and rising advertising revenue
- Confirmed negative impact on operating profitability
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Confirmation of streaming plan objectives
- Streaming revenue above €200 million in 2028
- Over 1 billion hours viewed on the platform between now and 2028
- Gradual implementation of the €80 million cost-saving plan by 2030
“In a challenging market environment, our operating margin is up compared to the first quarter of 2025 thanks to the Group’s transformation and careful cost management.
“2026 will be an atypical year for the Group which, for the first time in its history, will be the exclusive broadcaster of all the free-to-air matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026TM. We intend to fully capitalise on this fantastic opportunity, which is eagerly anticipated by advertisers whose brands will benefit from huge audiences.”
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
| (€ millions) | Q1 2026 | Q1 2025 | % change | |||
| Consolidated revenue2 |
297.7 |
314.9 |
-5.5% |
|||
| Group advertising revenue |
239.0 |
253.9 |
-5.9% |
|||
| - of which video advertising revenue |
206.5 |
222.0 |
-7.0% |
|||
| - of which other advertising revenue |
32.4 |
31.9 |
1.8% |
|||
| Group non-advertising revenue |
58.7 |
61.1 |
-3.9% |
|||
The first quarter of 2026 was marked by a weaker economic environment impacting the video advertising market. Against this backdrop, Group advertising revenues were 5.9% lower than in the first quarter of 2025, despite the momentum of the streaming activity.
The Group’s non-advertising revenue totalled €58.7 million, down €2.4 million in relation to the first quarter of 2025, with the increase in other video division revenues partly offsetting the decline seen by the Production and Audiovisual Rights division, whose cinema business has declined over the period, with the film release schedule largely concentrated in the second half of 2026.
Consolidated revenue thus totalled €297.7 million, down 5.5% in relation to the quarter ended
Thanks to tight cost control, consolidatedEBITA was €49.1 million, up €1.0 million in comparison with the quarter ended
QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE BY DIVISION
The contribution of the Group’s four operating segments (Video, Audio, Production & Audiovisual Rights, and Diversification) to consolidated revenue was as follows:
| Q1 | ||||||
| (€ millions) |
2026 |
2025 |
% change | |||
| Video (formerly Television) |
240.1 |
249.7 |
-3.8% |
|||
| Audio (formerly Radio) |
34.0 |
33.5 |
+1.5% |
|||
| Production & Audiovisual Rights |
14.9 |
21.6 |
-31.2% |
|||
| Diversification |
8.5 |
9.9 |
-14.7% |
|||
| Other revenue |
0.2 |
0.2 |
n/a |
|||
|
Consolidated revenue |
|
297.7 |
|
314.9 |
|
-5.5% |
1. Video (formerly Television)
Audience ratings
Over the first quarter of 2026, the audience share of M6 Group’s four free-to-air channels (M6, W9, 6ter and Gulli) stood at 20.6% on the commercial target of 25-49-year-olds (up 0.4 pp).
The M6 channel achieved an audience share of 11.5% (down 0.8 pp), with this decline primarily reflecting the impact of the broadcast of the Winter Olympics on France Télévision Group’s channels.
With an audience share of 5.0% among the commercial target of 25-49-year-olds, up 1.2 pp over the quarter, W9 was the most popular channel on DTT among this target and across the entire viewing public. In particular, the channel benefitted from the excellent performance of the show Tout
The M6+ platform recorded 31.7 million4 unique users for the quarter ended
Performance
In a still uncertain market environment, the Video division generated advertising revenue of €206.5 million in the first quarter of 2026, down 7.0% from the first quarter of 2025, with streaming revenue5, which stood at €30.5 million (up €5.8 million), partially offsetting the decline in linear revenue.
2. Audio (formerly Radio)
During the January-March wave, the Audio division maintained its position as the leading commercial radio group. It achieved an audience share of 15.9%6 with listeners aged 13+, stable in relation to the previous wave. The commercial audience share for the Group’s radio stations was 21.1%7, up 1.3 percentage points in relation to the previous wave.
Over the first three months of the year, Radio revenue totalled €34.0 million, an increase of 1.5%.
3. Production and Audiovisual Rights
Revenue from Production and Audiovisual Rights totalled €14.9 million, down €6.7 million. The lower momentum in the cinema business in the first quarter of 2026 can be attributed to the film release schedule, which is mainly concentrated in the second half of 2026. 2026 first quarter admissions stood at 1.2 million8 (Chers Parents and Le Crime du 3ème étage) against 2.4 million for the first quarter of 2025 (mainly due to Les Bodin’s partent en vrille, Conclave, Dis-moi juste que tu m’aimes and Le Secret de
4. Diversification
Diversification revenue totalled €8.5 million for the quarter ended
OTHER INFORMATION
Financial position and dividend
At
The Combined General Meeting convened today will be asked to approve the payment of a dividend of €1.25 per share in respect of the 2025 financial year, providing a yield of 10.3%9.
The ex-dividend date will be 4 May and dividends will be paid on
CSR commitments
OUTLOOK
The second quarter will be marked by the broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026TM, which will take place between 11 June and
2026 half-year financial information on
M6
Ticker: MMT, ISIN Code: FR0000053225
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1 Médiamétrie Médiamat, Médiamat Quotidien DTT channels (MNQ / SE) – January- |
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2 The information provided is intended to highlight the breakdown of consolidated revenue between advertising and non-advertising revenue. Group advertising revenue includes TV advertising revenue (advertising revenue of free-to-air channels M6, W9, 6ter and Gulli, and the platforms M6+ and Gulli Replay, as well as the share of advertising revenue from pay channels), and the advertising revenue of radio stations RTL, RTL2 and Fun. |
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3 Profit from recurring operations (EBITA) is defined as operating profit (EBIT) before amortisation and impairment of intangible assets (excluding audiovisual rights) related to acquisitions and capital gains and losses on the disposal of financial assets and subsidiaries. |
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4 Médiamétrie / Médiamat - On demand channels M6, W9, 6ter and Gulli |
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5 Total revenue from digital advertising revenue (AVOD) and revenue from M6+ Max and |
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6 Médiamétrie EAR - Whole of |
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7 Médiamétrie EAR - Whole of |
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8 CBO Box office |
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9 Calculated based on the share price at |
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10 A non-profit organisation created in 1947, ANDRH (Association Nationale des Directeurs des Ressources Humaines) is the largest community of Human Resources professionals in |
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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260427627199/en/
INVESTOR RELATIONS
PRESS Antoine Mathou +33 (0)6 66 59 05 32 - antoine.mathou@m6.fr
Source: M6 METROPOLE TELEVISION