On Thursday evening, M6 relaunched its iconic show without its longtime host. The new version of " Recherche appartement ou maison" (Apartment or House Hunt ), now without Stéphane Plaza , drew 1,494 million viewers, representing a 9,2% audience share. This allowed M6 to secure third place for the evening, behind TF1 and France 3, and well ahead of France 2. While not a smash hit by M6's standards, it's a respectable score for a show revived after a long hiatus and, above all, without its longtime host. A comparison with the program's previous ratings shows that the audience hasn't deserted it.
M6 came in third, with over 600,000 more viewers than France 2
TF1 dominated the evening with "The Mystery of the Yellow Room ," watched by 3,958 million viewers, representing a 24,7% audience share. France 3 came in second with " Deep Tide," which drew 2,077 million viewers and a 13,4% audience share. M6 completed the top three with 1,494 million viewers and a 9,2% audience share. Meanwhile, "Special Correspondent" had a difficult start to the season on France 2 with only 883,000 viewers and a 5,9% audience share. "Apartment or House Search" thus attracted 611,000 more viewers than France 2.
Better than the last new episode with Stéphane Plaza
The most interesting comparison is with the last broadcasts of " Recherche appartement ou maison" (Apartment or House Search) before its hiatus. On November 1, 2024, a new episode, still hosted by Stéphane Plaza, drew 1,139 million viewers and a 6,5% audience share. Thursday night's return therefore gained approximately 355,000 viewers and 2,7 percentage points in audience share compared to that broadcast.
The comparison must obviously take into account the day of broadcast and the different competition, but it allows us to rule out one hypothesis: Stéphane Plaza's departure did not lead to an immediate collapse of the brand.
The result is even close to the levels achieved by the show several years earlier, at a time when Stéphane Plaza was still fully involved with the program. The new version has therefore regained an audience more in line with that of a healthy " Recherche appartement ou maison" (Looking for an Apartment or House) than with that of a program that is losing momentum.
A solid result… but far from M6's flagship programs.
However, these 1,494 million viewers should be put into perspective with the channel's other major programs. M6's main launches in 2026 were significantly higher. Top Chef started its 17th season with around 2,1 million viewers , as did Pékin Express . Married at First Sight reached approximately 2,4 million . Even more impressive, the 21st season of Farmer Wants a Wife reached 3,4 million viewers within seven days of its initial broadcast , with a 21% audience share.
In this hierarchy, "Recherche appartement ou maison" (Apartment or House Hunt) is clearly not a powerhouse comparable to M6's biggest brands. With 1,49 million viewers, the show falls a notch below the channel's flagship programs. However, the comparison isn't entirely fair. " Recherche appartement ou maison" is returning after more than a year and a half's absence, and especially without its long-time host, whereas "Top Chef ," " Pékin Express ," " Mariés au premier regard" (Married at First Sight) , and "L'Amour est dans le pré" (Love is in the Meadow) have established regular broadcasts and a proven track record of building viewer loyalty.
M6 may have feared that the show would not survive Stéphane Plaza
The risk was real. Launched in 2006, " Recherche appartement ou maison" (Apartment or House Search) was inextricably linked to Stéphane Plaza for nearly two decades. His departure led to the program being put on hold before M6 finally decided to revive it.
As we announced during the presentation of the highly anticipated return of " Recherche appartement ou maison" (Apartment or House Search) without Stéphane Plaza , the network has chosen to retain two familiar faces from the program, Thibault Chanel and Sandra Viricel, to which Étienne Claude and Camille Duquennoy have been added. M6 now presents the show as a revamped brand centered around these four experts.
A few hours before the broadcast, Stéphane Plaza himself wished his successors good luck . "Good luck Sandra, Thibault and the newcomers ," he wrote, adding: "Tonight, 'Recherche appartement ou maison' continues its journey without me."
The curiosity factor is there; the next issue will be revealing.
One caveat must accompany this promising start: this first episode inevitably benefited from a curiosity factor. After a long absence and such a significant change in presentation, some viewers certainly wanted to see what the show was like without Stéphane Plaza.
This doesn't invalidate Thursday night's results, but the next ratings will be particularly interesting. If "Recherche appartement ou maison" manages to maintain around 1,4 to 1,5 million viewers and a market share close to 9%, M6 can truly consider the new format to have found its audience. A sharp drop, on the other hand, would suggest that the first evening's ratings were partly driven by curiosity.
For M6, the first test has been passed
The channel is simultaneously continuing its break with the world of its former presenter. This summer, the group notably finalized its exit from Stéphane Plaza Immobilier to focus on Sixième Avenue , confirming a separation that is now both on television and financially.
For "Recherche appartement ou maison" (Apartment or House Search ), the first test was a success. With 1,494 million viewers, a 9,2% market share, and a third-place national ranking, the show achieved a result far superior to its last new episode in 2024 and returned to a respectable level for the brand.
It's neither a record nor a triumph comparable to M6's big launches. But for a program that had to prove it could simply continue to exist without Stéphane Plaza, the score is encouraging. The next broadcast will tell if this successful return can now translate into genuine viewer loyalty.
