In France, record-breaking acquisition of RMC BFM is losing its luster

Acquired in 2024 by Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of the French global shipping giant CMA CGM, for the modest sum of 1.57 billion euros, the RMC BFM group is currently weathering a financial storm.

While this costly deal was described as “strategic” for the billionaire’s influence, the honeymoon is already over, according to revelations from L’informé. “In eighteen months, the value of this small media empire has plummeted by nearly 40%!” reports the investigative business news outlet.

Numerous headwinds

This nosedive by the major French group—one of the country’s most powerful news media conglomerates—can be attributed to a combination of three main factors: fierce competition from CNews, which is shaking up viewership, as well as declining revenue linked to a sluggish advertising market and a brain drain. In fact, following the change in ownership, many journalists have invoked their severance clauses, which in this specific case allow them to leave the media outlet with severance pay.

BFMTV in the red

The impact on RMC BFM’s profitability was immediate. As L’informé notes,“After twelve years of profitability, the BFMTV news channel found itself in the red in 2024” (and has remained there ever since).

Faced with the urgency of the situation, management decided to tighten its belt by selling local channels and launching a drastic cost-cutting plan. This defensive shift has alarmed the unions, which have described the situation as “particularly worrying.”