By Ben Schwarz and Thierry Fautier
Why This Matters
As France’s audiovisual landscape evolves amid streaming competition and shifting viewer expectations, the future of terrestrial broadcasting (TNT) depends on modernisation. To that end, ARCOM, the French audiovisual and digital communications regulator, launched a public consultation on the transition to enhanced formats, including 4K resolution and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
This blog summarizes key findings from that consultation, based on public responses from leading French broadcasters, platform operators, and industry stakeholders. A follow-up blog can cross-reference with other sources. All data cited comes from ARCOM’s publicly available consultation materials.
Why Now
This week is the SATIS show, the number one broadcast show in France, where professionals gather to discuss the future of TV. We expect the TNT modernization, including the migration to UHD, to be one of the topics of discussion.
Enhanced Formats: A Strategic Imperative
A broad consensus emerged across all stakeholders: adopting 4K (2160p50) HDR and HD (1080p50) HDR is critical to maintaining TNT’s relevance and competitiveness. Respondents highlighted the visible quality improvements of HDR, especially in brightness and color depth, even on smaller screens. Several noted that HDR is often more noticeable to viewers than increased resolution alone.
Beyond technical quality, the adoption of enhanced formats is seen as a strategic lever. A simulcast approach, offering the content in both legacy and enhanced formats, is seen as a driver of equipment upgrades and a necessary counterbalance to streaming platforms. The transition to HD in the early 2010s is widely cited as a precedent.
Costs: High but Manageable
Financial considerations were a central aspect of ARCOM’s consultation. Estimated costs for nationwide implementation were:
- €9 million per 4K HDR channel
- €4.5 million per HD-HDR channel (assuming 95% coverage)
While significant, these costs are considered “absorbable” when placed in context. For example, infrastructure operator TDF has proposed a new 2025 offer that reduces multiplex costs by around €5 million, lowering the total national UHD simulcast cost to under €20 million, which is less than 0.4% of the combined revenues of France’s top three free-to-air broadcasters.
That said, most stakeholders recommend a phased rollout over approximately five years, to spread capital expenditure and avoid overwhelming operators or content producers.
Content Supply: Native UHD Is Limited (for Now)
While enthusiasm for enhanced formats is high, many respondents acknowledged that native UHD content remains relatively limited, particularly for general entertainment and news. Sports and significant cultural events (e.g., the Paris 2024 Olympics, the reopening of Notre-Dame) were highlighted as early successes in UHD/HDR.
To address short-term content gaps, upscaling (converting HD (1080i50) SDR or HD (1080p50)-HDR content to 4K(2160p50) -HDR) is considered essential. Notably, several stakeholders (including TF1 and TDF) advocate for head-end, AI-based upscaling. This approach ensures consistent quality across devices, avoids reliance on variable TV-side processing, and aligns with environmental and operational efficiency goals.
Hybrid Approach: A Necessary Transition Phase
The consensus points toward a hybrid content strategy: combining a limited set of native 4K-HDR/HD-HDR content with high-quality AI-powered upscaling for the rest of the programming grid. This strategy is seen as both realistic and practical during the early years of deployment.
Stakeholders also noted that professional-grade 4K-HDR cameras are becoming increasingly available, and production workflows are starting to evolve, indicating a gradual industrialization of UHD production across the French market.
Equipment Readiness and Audience Impact
From a distribution and reception standpoint, the transition appears feasible. Operators like Towercast estimate that over 65% of French households already have 4K-HDR-capable TVs, with penetration expected to reach 90% by 2029. TV makers (via AFNUM) confirm that UHD has accounted for over 80% of TV sales since 2022, underscoring the urgency to provide relevant UHD (either 2160p or 1080p 50 HDR) broadcast content.
Respondents emphasized the importance of simulcast not only for quality but also for preserving audience loyalty, particularly among viewers seeking accessible, high-quality content that is not constrained by streaming subscriptions or bandwidth limitations.
Environmental Considerations
An important but sometimes overlooked aspect of this transition is sustainability. Several contributors noted that terrestrial broadcasting, especially when efficiently managed, offers lower per-viewer energy consumption compared to streaming, especially during peak-time events. Considering environmental footprint reinforces the relevance of enhanced TNT not just in terms of competition, but also in line with national and European digital sobriety goals.
In addition, by relying on head-end processing for upscaling and standardising delivery quality, operators can minimise energy consumption at the device level, an important consideration given the millions of receivers in French homes.
Conclusion: A Call for Coordinated Action
The ARCOM consultation clearly demonstrates that France possesses both the technical readiness and the strategic rationale to adopt enhanced terrestrial broadcasting. The costs, while real, are manageable with phased rollouts and updated infrastructure offers. The content challenge is temporary and addressable with upscaling and industrial evolution.
What’s now needed is coordinated action:
- From regulators, to facilitate spectrum planning and ensure policy support
- From broadcasters, to invest in UHD production and simulcast planning
- From industry stakeholders, to continue providing the tools for production, distribution, and TV side implementation to make the transition from HD (1080i) to UHD (1080p/2160p 50 HDR) as smooth and economical as possible.
At UHDF, we welcome ARCOM’s initiative and encourage other countries to take note of it. Terrestrial broadcasting can and should evolve. With the right balance of innovation and pragmatism, 4K and HDR can play a key role in delivering high-quality, sustainable viewing experiences to all.
