Salto could very well breathe its last as some of its shareholders want to pack up.
Is France’s answer to Netflix and others taking on water? Launched two years ago, SALTO is at a turning point in its history. Although his ambition was to push the big paf chains into the all-on-demand era, the operation has not turned out to be as profitable as expected. The service born from the alliance of the TF1, M6 and France Télévisions groups would have some difficulty in establishing itself against the American giants. The three entities will have to meet in the coming days to decide their fate.
Recall that SALTO is a SVOD platform that plays on multiple fronts. Replays, exclusive content and previews, the service comes in many hats, but it’s not always easy to grasp all its subtleties. This is all the more true since TF1 had further blurred the lines by launching its TF1 Max offer which gives access to live Stellar Academy For instance.
Actors already arriving
A year ago, when the merger of the TF1 and M6 groups was announced, Delphine Ernotte, president of France Television, anticipated this operation by announcing that her group would withdraw from the project if necessary. Even if the transaction was canceled, the France Television group could take the opportunity to jump ship. It must be said that the end of the public fee will weigh heavily on the finances of the group, which is looking for almost 45 million euros to complete the 2023 budget.
As for Salto, according to sources close to the matter interviewed by The world, three scenarios are considered. The future is pretty bleak for the service. “Either none of the three shareholders remit the money, and they have to be liquidated, or they agree to strengthen the platform – but this is not the most probable scenario – or one of the shareholders or an external actor, such as a producer, buys out the shares of others. But then he will have to have strong shoulders ”.
Not a complete failure
Though the sword of Damocles hovers above his head, JUMP is not the expected failure. Its CEO confided in an article about Western France. The platform should soon reach one million registered households, compared to ten for Netflix. Thomas Follin is thrilled as he calls service an asset “not insignificant” for the three initial shareholders. “That’s a performance in just two years, in an ultra-competitive market.” To celebrate this victory, SALTO will also increase the price of its subscriptions. Initial offer changes to 7.99 euros per month, or one euro more.
It remains to be seen whether the adventure for SALTO will continue, and whether the various shareholders will choose to offer it the opportunity to join the landscape in the long term.