CMA Media, owner of BFMTV, RMC and Brut, has struck a wide-ranging partnership with YouTube, according to reports in the French media. The deal marks one of the most significant shifts yet by a French broadcast group toward digital-first distribution.
Under the agreement, CMA Media will make around 1,000 hours of content per year available on YouTube and develop approximately 30 original formats designed specifically for the platform. The move positions YouTube not as a secondary outlet for clips, but as a core editorial and commercial space for the group, a notable change in a market where broadcasters have long kept the platform at arm’s length.
CMA Media will distribute a wide range of content on YouTube, including news extracts from BFMTV, extended interviews, documentaries and long-form digital originals produced by its BFM studios. However, the group has ruled out livestreaming its linear channels or uploading brand-new full programmes, arguing that such a model does not yet offer sustainable economics for premium, first-run content.
Instead, the company plans to treat YouTube as a distinct editorial environment, focused on long-tail and digital-native formats that can live natively on the platform.
The partnership forms part of a broader internal restructuring led by CMA Media director-general Claire Léost (pictured), who joined the group late last year. The strategy reflects a recognition that traditional media companies can no longer isolate themselves from platform ecosystems as viewing habits fragment across screens.
CMA Media is reportedly targeting a 50% increase in its YouTube audience and aims to double its advertising revenues. Advertisers will be offered unified commercial packages spanning YouTube and CMA Media’s owned channels, alongside new brand integrations produced by the group’s in-house studios.
Commenting on the deal via her LinkedIn account, YouTube France managing director Justine Ryst said the partnership combines the scale of the platform with the strength of CMA Media’s brands and talent. She described the move as a response to rapidly changing consumer habits and said it reflected a shift towards “hybrid” distribution in which traditional broadcasters meet audiences wherever they are, across all screens.
