Vincent Bolloré questioned at the National Assembly about his ties with Banijay

The parliamentary inquiry into public broadcasting resumes its work this Tuesday, March 24, with a highly anticipated hearing: that of Vincent Bolloré. The businessman will be questioned by members of parliament starting at 15:30 p.m., not in connection with his media outlets, but because of his indirect stake in Banijay through Vivendi, at a time when parliamentarians are seeking to better understand the links between public service broadcasting and major private production groups.

An audition focused on television production

The core of the discussion is expected to focus on Banijay's place within the France Télévisions ecosystem. The group produces several flagship programs for the public broadcaster, such as Fort Boyard and N'oubliez pas les paroles. According to information obtained by Le Figaro, the commission's chairman, Jérémie Patrier-Leitus, justifies this meeting by the fact that Vincent Bolloré, through Vivendi, is one of Banijay's main financial shareholders.

According to Le Figaro, this hearing is consistent with the approach taken by members of parliament in recent weeks: after hearing from stakeholders linked to Mediawan, another major player in production working with France Télévisions, it seemed logical to also question Banijay's main investors. The issue of opening up the company's capital to foreign partners, particularly through the alliance with All3Media, is also expected to be addressed.

Broader questions in the background

Even though the official framework remains that of public broadcasting, this hearing could go beyond the sole issue of shareholding. According to Le Figaro, Jérémie Patrier-Leitus believes it will be interesting to understand Vincent Bolloré's views on public service broadcasting, especially given that several media outlets within his group regularly level sharp criticism at him.

This phase marks the resumption of work after its interruption due to the municipal elections. According to the schedule mentioned by Le Figaro, the hearings are to continue until April 8, before a review of the report in the second half of the month. The commission aims to decide on two key questions: which missions should remain at the heart of public broadcasting, and what organizational structure would allow it to better compete with platforms, social networks, and large private groups.