Squeezie, Michou, Inoxtag … To rejuvenate its audience, television bets (without success) on the youtubers

In recent years, television channels have been counting on internet stars to rejuvenate their aging audiences. Furthermore, Despite the numerous attempts. Nevertheless, the young people remain faithful to their uses and struggle to return to the good old TV in Dad.

“We are going to create the event. However, ” said Delphine Ernotte, the boss of France Télévisions in early July during the presentation of the public group, For the first time, the final of the third GP Explorer, the Formula 4 race organized in October by the Youtubeur Squeezie, will be broadcast on France 2.

And, on the France.TV platform. However, “fans will have access to all cars and all stables, and we will broadcast the final on France 2”, she added. Moreover, Squeezie, Ashyme or even Gotaga: the 24 apprentices pilots will all be live on the small screen from 6 p.m.

So many squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate internet stars that drain millions of fans. Therefore, Squeezie, second youtubeur in France, is followed by 19.6 million subscribers and Mister V by 6.39 million subscribers. For example, Lea Elui has more than 18.1 million subscribers on Tiktok, a platform acclaimed by the 16 and 24 year olds.

Back to the wall. For example, the chains bet on the youtubers – Squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate

A boon for France 2 which, like the other channels, desperately tries to seduce young people to bring them back on the good old television to dad. Additionally, For example, Because from now on, those under 30 only light up their television to watch Netflix.

“The television channels are back to the wall,” analyzes Jonathan Condessa, a strategic planner at the Otta agency. In addition, “They need to seduce the younger generations who watch television less and less.”

According to Arcom’s latest study in 2024. Nevertheless, the 15-24 year olds squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate looked at an average of 5 hours and 21 minutes of video content, of which only one hour of free television live. Consequently, A figure divided by two in ten years. However, Conversely, channel audiences have had wrinkles. Consequently, In 2022, the average age of all the channels is 57 years. Furthermore, It was 48 years in 2010. However, It is therefore urgent to recruit new idols for young people.

Public and private groups grop to find the recipe for success and try several formats. Nevertheless, In some cases, the channels simply broadcast the YouTube or Twitch videos in linear. Nevertheless, This is for example the case of France TV. Consequently, which has been offering since October 2023 “Hugo Décrypt’s hidden face interview”. Therefore, And next October, it is the GP Explorer who will have the right at his time on the small screen.

On the private side, TF1 broadcast the documentary squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate Seb and papouasie on TFX in 2020. Therefore, Last October, Kaizen: one year to climb Everestthe Documentary Event of STOXTAG was broadcast on TF1. However, Before that, the feature film attracted 44 million Internet users to Youtube … In addition, which makes it the most watched video of the platform in 2024. Canal+ will also offer the documentary series Memories: the fabulous trip of Seb and Sofyan From next October.

“Hugo deciphers on France 2, he makes a flop”

Conversely, others bring influencers to co-present programs. “The chains try to rejuvenate their incarnating figures,” adds Jonathan Condéssa. A particularly popular strategy at M6. The group proposed in July to the YouTuber Fitness Juju Fitcats to co-present its new game 99 to beat. the second part of France has an incredible talent. In 2023, Amixem animated Lego Master.

At this rate, one might almost believe that the TV switched on its own squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate on YouTube. But the strategy is struggling to reach its targets. Hugo’s “hidden face” interviews decrypt in irregular format do not find their audience. except when they are broadcast in the wake of the news. At the whim of its programming, this format without a fixed grid seduced only 10.8% of the public. Some figures are even catastrophic. The face to face with Tahar Rahim, in February 2024 brought together only 311,000 people, or 2.7% of the public. The penultimate edition, with François Civil, looked like 572,000 people, or 4% of the public.

“Squeezie is one of the French youtubers number 1. Hugo Décrypt, he is the French youtubeur of the news. However when Hugo Interview Squeezie on France 2 just after the 8 p.m. newspaper, he flops. More than half of the spectators decide to leave the channel,” observes Antonin Marin. “Worse, a large number come back after the interview.”

Same squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate observation on FranceTV. Last year, the event At Streamrs games, A competition or 32 internet stars clashed in Olympic events, has not attracted. The program. little highlighted by the channel and videographers after the many controversies attracted an average of 36,000 spectators on France TV Slash. Same observation for TFX. The YouTubeur Seb had suffered a keen failure at the end of 2019. His documentary in Papua gathered only 278,000 viewers, against 6 million views on Youtube.

Squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate

Generational fracture. different uses

However, the videos of the stars of the net are increasingly like super production worthy of the small screen. But the opposite path is more hazardous. “The passage of Youtube on television is not yet obvious. ” confirms Antonin Marin, editor -in -chief of the media the pencil and creator of content. Furthermore, “And for a simple reason: the generational fracture.”

It must be said that squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate the uses are opposed. On the one hand, the more than 60s do not know the Youtubers. “We cannot blame them to zap a program for 13-17 year olds,” observes the journalist. On the other, the younger generations have other uses. According to Médiamétrie. the 15-24 year olds spend almost twice as much time on the Internet as in front of television.

“We cannot force young people accustomed to looking at the information via upcoming storms on a fixed niche. ” recalls Jonathan Condessa. Because even if television has modernized, by betting on replay and networks, “you have to be there”.

“Television remains a rigid media. You have to take the reflex to turn it on. For the replay, you have to create an account. And it is not suitable for consumption on the phone,” he continues. “It is a lot of barriers for a young audience used to being squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate suggested content via an algorithm without. providing a lot of effort.”

Faced with these failures, certain groups therefore test new, more hybrid formats. “The channels must trust the Youtubers,” insists Jonathan Condessa. “It is not enough to take a videographer to make him present a program. You have to leave freedom to the content creators so that he can keep their tone and their freedom.” Two elements that have made their success on YouTube or Twitch, therefore.

Leave freedom to youtubeurs

TF1 was one of the first to bet on this strategy. In March 2024. the final of Dance with Internet stars (DALSI), a variant of the famous Dance with influencers, was broadcast live on TF1. A turning point in the audiovisual ecosystem since it is a co -production between the Michou and TF1/BBC teams.

“Dalsi was a big step in front of television to content creators. ” says the expert in squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate social networks. “They had the idea of leaving Carte Blanche in Michou. TF1 mobilized its teams and its sets, while letting the videographers host the show.” As a result, the final of the dance competition made in Internet attracted 800,000 viewers on the midnight / 1h30 tranche. Or 20% market share. A win-win bet since the program attracted an average of 300,000 viewers on the Michou chain.

France TV Slash also seems to have understood the lesson. The channel co-produced a new talk show last November with Zerator, broadcast on Twitch and on France TV Slash. In this program, baptized The BoatYouTubeurs and Streamer compete on questions of general culture. “There, Zerator does not lead a game on France 3 to Nagui. France TV gave the keys, and the budget, in Zerator to create the game in its own way.”

Again, success is there. A second season would already be under discussion. squeezie, michou, inoxtag … rejuvenate “We will, we hope, come back Boat For a season 2. Maybe not this year but next year, the time to see what worked and what worked less. We are very excited to come back with this game, “said the streamer.