TF1 weighs sale of Studio TF1 production arm, Reuters reports

TF1 is weighing a possible sale of Studio TF1, the production arm formerly known as Newen Studios, as the French broadcaster sharpens its focus on streaming and on channels that generate advertising revenue. The review places one of France’s biggest TV groups among a growing list of European broadcasters reassessing whether they still need to own production assets outright.

Studio TF1 has remained a meaningful contributor inside the group. In TF1’s 2024 results, consolidated revenue rose 2.6% to €2,356 million, helped by advertising revenue that increased 2.3% and by Newen Studios, which grew 4.6%. TF1+ also showed strong momentum, with advertising revenue up 39.2% over the year as the company pushed deeper into digital viewing.

That momentum continued into 2025, even as the broader operating backdrop stayed uneven. TF1 reported first-quarter consolidated revenue of €520 million, up 1.6% year on year, and first-half revenue of €1,103 million, flat compared with a year earlier. By the time TF1 released full-year 2025 results on February 12, 2026, consolidated revenue had slipped 2.5% to €2,297 million, but Studio TF1 revenue was up 9.2%, lifted by the contribution of Johnson Production Group.

A sale would be aimed at buyers that want more than a single production label. Studio TF1 would offer a foothold in European production, along with television formats, scripted programming, unscripted franchises and distribution reach that can be monetized across markets. Strategic buyers and private equity firms have kept looking for profitable content businesses with established brands, even as the advertising market has become tougher.

For TF1, selling the unit could free up capital and simplify a group that is trying to balance broadcast television, digital products and streaming growth. The logic is increasingly common across Europe: broadcasters are becoming more selective about what they own, preferring to control audience relationships and distribution while treating some production businesses as assets that can be sold when they no longer fit the core strategy.

TF1 rebranded Newen Studios as Studio TF1 in 2025, underscoring the unit’s role in the company’s wider content strategy even as it became a candidate for divestment. If the broadcaster moves ahead, the deal would add to a broader reset in European media, where vertically integrated models are giving way to leaner structures built around streaming, advertising and selective ownership of content assets.