It runs in the same system that most large broadcasters do, in that main operations happen in one central company, while regional operations, such as advertising and local news, happens with localized contracted companies.
It was formed by merging a number of smaller single-channel broadcasters.
TF1 was the first TV station in France, and was the only one until France 2 started. TF1 started on April 26, 1935 under Radiodiffusion Nationale, and has been in near-continuous broadcast ever since, making it one of the few pre-WWII stations of its kind. After the war ended, an official government monopoly transitioned on TV channels, under Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française, a holding company for what would become 7 channels. In 1963, they launched a second channel: RTF Télévision 2, which went through several names, later settling on Antenne 2. This company later became Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française in 1964.
On October 1st, 1967, Antenne 2 gained color, in the form of SECAM transmission, with the line "Et voici la couleur !" meaning "And here is color!". These words are still famous in the field of audiovisual engineering for starting the NTSC, PAL, SECAM, issue.
In 1972, La 3e Chaîne Couleur, a third channel was launched under Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française. This later became FR3. In 1974, private channels were legalized in France, and the government owned ones put under separate administration. TF1 would remain independent, and is still in existence, in the form of the TF1 group, which holds 14 channels including TF1. It is headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt. Its headquarters can actually be seen in the background shots of certain episodes of Code Lyoko.
The marketshare of the government owned channels plummeted as a result of the lost monopoly. Antenne 2 and FR3 merged to form France Télévisions, in order to survive. This worked financially. In 1996, they launched "Festival", which was rebranded as France 4. In the same year, they launched RFO SAT, a local channel for internationalized broadcasts, which was renamed France Ô. In 2000, France Télévisions S.A. was formed, which absorbed France 2 and France 3. It also absorbed "La Cinquième", which was rebranded as France 5. In 2003, they began broadcasting Code Lyoko, alongside Canal J. In 2004, the company acquired "Réseau Outre-Mer 1re", which is colloquially called France 1. France Télévisions is still in operation.
On March 8th, 2011; Analog transmission in France ended, and as a result, the channels of France Télévisions became digital only, with a few exceptions in international broadcasts. Prior to this shutdown; Canal +; France 2, 3, and 5; M6; and TF1 were broadcasted to the greater Paris area from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
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